Golden Daffodils 'The Sequel To Foolish Tears'
by Calmardaa
Summary: COMPLETE! [reads that back, 'hey what? huh? how the hell ...] yes, keel over in shock! It's done [thanks various deities] WARNING R rating and its DracoHarry ... Drarry?
1. Parts 01 to 12

Disclaimer: They ain't mine, which is why I'm poor and Harry's a virgin.  
  
  
  
Golden Daffodils  
  
--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud.  
  
Part 1  
  
Draco rubbed his arm, uncomfortably. He was fully aware that he was conscious, but he hadn't opened his eyes yet. He was trying to conclude, by his circumstances, where he had ended up. The first thing he noticed as he tried to take in his surroundings, was that he wasn't in any more pain. /So I didn't land in Hell. Well, that's a relief./  
  
Still without opening his eyes he stretched his arms out to the sides of the small bed he was on. He determined that he was indeed alone and that no gorgeous, preferably naked, black haired Gryffindor was lying next to him. /And it's obviously not Heaven. Maybe I landed in Limbo? Terrific, just what I need. The indecision of where to put me, bloody Gods or whatever takes care of this sort of stuff./  
  
He finally conceded to the inevitable and opened his eyes, looking around warily. He closed them with a soft groan and damned every known god, alphabetically. /It's worse than Hell. I'm in the Hogwarts infirmary. Who's wonderful idea was it for me to live? I was suppose to die, or had people forgotten that?/ A vague memory of teary green eyes and a bleeding hand grabbing his own equally bloody palm, made it's way through to the front of his mind and Draco sighed in disgust.  
  
/Typical, bloody Gryffindor. I don't know how he did it but, Christ. He just can't help himself, can he? Always, fucking interfering without thinking, always conveniently forgetting that others have to live with the consequences. This time, literally./ He rubbed his left arm in discomfort. /And so the freak that is Draco, lives on. Marvellous. Just great. Now what?/  
  
He opened his eyes again and sat up. Dumbledore was looking out of the window, oblivious to his movements.  
  
"What the fuck happened?" He rasped harshly at the old man.  
  
The headmaster jumped slightly and turned, a smile crashing on to his face.  
  
"Draco! How wonderful to see you awake. And you appear perfectly normal, if your little outburst is anything to go by."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so thrilled." Draco spat sarcastically. "What happened?"  
  
"Oh, many things have happened since you lost consciousness. Your body decided it needed quite a lot of rest after that whole dying episode. You've been sleeping for almost two weeks. Happy New Year, by the way. You only just missed it, oh, we had an amazing party for it this year ...... "  
  
"Dumbledore!" Draco's voice dropped to almost a growl. "Listen to me very carefully. What. The. Fuck. Happened?"  
  
"And still you use such language. I hardly see how's it's necessary."  
  
Draco did growl then, the headmaster's eyes widen in unease and he hurried on. "Tom Riddle and all the captured, former Death Eaters are in Azkaban, Lord Voldemort is effectively no more as it seems you managed to make him a complete squib permanently. You *were* dead for a few moments and Harry brought you back somehow, using the key and your connection to him. The Longbottoms are slowly settling back into society and Neville is thrilled. I do believe he quite idolises you, now."  
  
/Great, another Gryffindor to follow me around all over the place. He'll probably join Col and Gin./ "Sev?"  
  
"He's fine. Normally he would be sitting here at meal times and any other time he's not giving a lesson, but he was called to the Ministry to give evidence."  
  
"Lucius?"  
  
"Ah, er, I'm very sorry, Draco. He managed to escape during the fighting. Blaise was one of the last to see him."  
  
/Fuck, and damn./ "Blaise?" /If we have to do this one person at a time, fine./  
  
"He's quite well, though understandably a little lonely in the Slytherin dorms."  
  
/Yeah, right, like he stays there, which brings me to ........./ "Jus?"  
  
"He too, is settling back in."  
  
"The Trio?"  
  
"Trust me, my dear boy, everyone is quite well. Only two Auror casualties, the best result yet, and hopefully the last when it comes to Voldemort and his followers."  
  
"Unlikely. Lucius will go after Sev. We'll have to be ready for him."  
  
"And why would you think he'd do that?"  
  
Draco was obviously tired of sitting on his hospital bed and got up, summoning clothes for himself to wear. "Because, Lucius will want to come after me. I just ruined his chances at ultimate power. Trust me, he's not happy about it either. He can't take me on, one on one, so he'll try to get Sev. Get some leverage over me." He rubbed his arm through the shirt.  
  
"I see."  
  
"Yeah right. Sure you do." Draco spat sarcastically and Dumbledore frowned.  
  
"I don't think Poppy would be pleased to discover that you're discharging yourself from her care."  
  
"She'll get over it. I'm hungry, it's lunch time isn't it?"  
  
"Well, yes, but ....... " Dumbledore trailed off as Draco walked out of the room.  
  
/Well, I lived. Great, just great. Now what the hell am I suppose to do? I never even thought past this. I was suppose to die and stay dead. Would have too if Harry hadn't ............... Wow, that had been the first time in months since I could even think his name. So many things that don't have to be done. So many rules and regulations that can be abolished now. Like, my hair, for instance./  
  
Without even the need to look, he shattered the spell that was keeping it black and felt it return to it's original pale blonde. /Much better. I really didn't like that hair colour on me. Harry was right, it made me look like a ......... /  
  
"You're awake?!" A voice squeaked in panic and he looked over to see Fudge.  
  
/Well, this just gets better and better. Perhaps I did stay dead and *this* is my own personal Hell?/ "As you can see, yes, I am. Why are you here?" /This so can't be good. Anything that would make this moron come all the way to Hogwarts, just has to be bad./  
  
Fudge mostly recovered from his shock. "I was personally waiting for you to wake up. There are a few rules you need to understand. You will still be required to give your testimony to the Ministry, despite nearly everyone else giving you glowing reviews."  
  
Fudge rushed to catch up as Draco had started to walk again while the Minister was speaking.  
  
"Very well. I expected I would have to." /No, I bloody well didn't. I was damn sure I was going to die. Well I did, just not permanently. Oh, shut up. I lived, get over it already./  
  
"You are not permitted to leave the grounds of Hogwarts until the Council has determined whether or not you should be held for any war crimes. You *may* visit Hogsmeade, so long as you are under constant supervision of one of the teachers. One that is not Snape. We feel he may be too lenient towards you, before you are granted full exoneration."  
  
"Very well." /Does condemning Death Eaters count as a war crime, I wonder? If so, I'm in a lot of trouble. Sure, they were innocent of what I accused them of, but none of them were innocent of certain other things. Hmm, I'll ask Sev when he gets back./ He rubbed his arm.  
  
"And when you are called to appear you will be escorted from the Hogwarts' gates by Dementors to the Ministry Trial Room. And back, if it is discovered that you will need more than one sitting to report."  
  
/Oh, great. That could take days. I wonder how the Dementors are liking the bracelets I designed for them? I expect I shall soon see for myself./ "Very well."  
  
Fudge was obviously unnerved by the way Draco was handling the situation so calmly. "You do realise that many people are not very accepting of the idea that you were helping us from the start, don't you?"  
  
"I *wasn't* helping you. I was working for the *Order*. As far as I could see, the Ministry wasn't doing much of anything in the fight against Voldemort."  
  
Fudge looked quite offended. "Now see here, my dear boy ...... "  
  
Draco spun on the spot. "I am *not* your dear boy and please don't try to justify your apparent lack of judgement to me. Now, if you don't mind, I'm hungry. If there are any other ridiculous rules to impose or subtle allegations you wish to hurl, you can find me in the Hall. Good day, Minister."  
  
Draco stormed off and was still glaring when he entered the Great Hall. He hadn't really been hungry, but he figured it was a good enough excuse to get rid of both Dumbledore and Fudge.  
  
"DRACO!" Three voices shouted over the noise and everyone stopped what they were doing as Blaise, Justin and Astra rushed up to the blonde. Astra nearly strangled him she was hugging his neck so much and the other two boys were talking fast.  
  
"You're back ..... "  
  
"Great to see you ..... "  
  
"So much ..... "  
  
"Your hair ..... "  
  
"The diamond ..... "  
  
"Guess what ..... "  
  
"And then ..... "  
  
Draco slowly blinked as his mind tried to keep up with the two of them. Astra finally let him go and spun around as he gasped for breath. He rubbed his left arm again.  
  
"Honestly, you two. Shut up! Can't you see he's hungry? He looks like a skeleton, for heavens sake. Come on, Drake." She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the Slytherin table.  
  
Maliciously, he smiled and waved to the Dursleys, who, upon finally recognising him with his blonde hair, rushed to move to the other end of the table at sat with the first years. The first years weren't happy at this arrangement..  
  
Astra giggled. "Don't worry about them. They're going home tomorrow. Now that the threat of 'Draco Malfoy: The Evil Incarnate' is gone and all."  
  
"Maybe they shouldn't be so sure?" He grinned and collapsed to sit at the very head of the table, well aware that the rest of the Hall was still staring at him. The two boys sat, one on either side and Astra sat next to Blaise. He grabbed up a ham sandwich and chewed some slowly, still not really being hungry despite being unconscious for so long. He forced himself to swallow it as he rubbed his inner arm on the table edge.  
  
"So." He cleared his throat. "What's been happening? NO! No. One at a time, please, god. And please, no talk of, certain stuff that I may have had diamonds do. I couldn't handle your slobbering gratitude." He grinned at Justin and Blaise which they returned. "Stra?"  
  
"Um, my mum's doing just great. She's getting the Order of Merlin, Second Class for her bringing down of Pettigrew. Er, I nearly blew up the dungeons yesterday with one of my attempts at potions. OH! Snape will be back tonight. He'll be glad to see that you're better."  
  
/Am I? Hmm, oh well, never mind./ "Blay?" Draco put the sandwich down, fairly certain that they wouldn't notice that he hadn't eaten much.  
  
Blaise looked up from whatever he was writing /Oh god, I think I can guess/ and smiled, blushing slightly. "Er, um, I got caught sneaking into the Hufflepuff dorms. Some second year who had fallen asleep in the common room, thought I was a Death Eater and screamed his head off when I accidentally woke him up. Well, technically, I guess I used to be, a Death Eater that is. Oh, nearly everyone has given their evidence to the Ministry. My trial was last week and I got off scot-free."  
  
"Not really surprising as, all you did all day, every day, was eat, drink, sleep and whine at me to do something so you weren't so bored." Blaise grinned harder and returned to his letter. "Jus?"  
  
"Er, my trial was uneventful, no charges. Oh, and I got a rather strong warning from Sprout about inviting people over to see me at three thirty in the morning."  
  
Draco fought back the laughter that was rising and kept his face neutral. "Yes, well, good advise really. I'm sure it wasn't heeded in any case. Honestly, you two are pathetic."  
  
"Aren't they just." Astra agreed as the boys blushed.  
  
"What would you know? You didn't have to spend nearly a month with them. Those last two weeks were hell. Only reason I used the Orb anyway. Death would have been better than watching them drool over each other." The three faces had darkened somewhat at the indirect mention of his death, but brightened and went along with the joke anyway.  
  
/Oh, Christ. I hope people don't go tiptoeing around me like I'm going to break at any moment. I don't think I could stand that. I'm not that fucking fragile. But then again, there are some things I don't want to be reminded of .......... Let's just see how we go and we'll take it from there./  
  
"Why didn't you guys just go to the Slytherin dorms? Those things are practically empty." Draco shook his head as Astra offered him another sandwich.  
  
"Um, Snape said the next time we did, he was charming every single mirror in the entire school to er, 'reflect' what we were doing."  
  
Draco sniggered. "Yeah that sounds pretty much like him." He stared at the table top, slowly rubbing his arm on the edge again. /Hm, they need a book. 'What To Do In The Wizarding World When You're Dead.' You'd think the vampires would have done that by now. Then again, their idea of having fun, isn't the most appealing./  
  
Blaise nudged him with his elbow, breaking him from his thoughts and he looked over. Blaise nodded to the space at Draco's right and the blonde slowly turned his head. And sighed. The Gryffindor Trio were on their way over. Fighting the instinct to run and hide, Draco held his head proudly as they got to him.  
  
/I really don't want to do this./ He looked Harry in the eyes and stood up. "Hello." /Yes, bland, good, let's go with that./  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 2  
  
Ron and Hermione nodded in greeting. "Hello." Harry said, with an unreadable tone. making Draco slightly anxious. /Be strong, damn it. Strength. Damn you boy, you can do better than this./ Draco saw something flash across Harry's eyes but it was too quick for him to grasp it's meaning. /I hope that wasn't what I thought it was./  
  
"Nice to see your hair is back to normal."  
  
/Er, okay, pleasantries. I can do that./ "Thank you." /Yes, good, keep it short. See, you remember this, it's what you do best./ Draco told his mind to shove off. "Um, I suppose I should thank you for what you did." /Or punch some sense into you. Either one. I mean, what the hell were you thinking, you absolute fucking moron?!?!/  
  
"You're welcome." The emotion went across green eyes again and this time Draco didn't miss it.  
  
/PITY? He pities me? To hell with this. I don't need this shit, that's for sure./ "Yes, well, it's been absolutely smashing to talk to you all again. But I'm afraid that I have to go. Probably go lie down or something. /Technically not a lie. I probably should. Or Poppy will have my head./  
  
Draco smiled his finest smile and walked off, trying his best not to run instead.  
  
/All in all that didn't go too badly. Notice how you're not a sobbing ball of pain? Or bleeding? Or hexed?/  
  
Draco muttered something out loud to his mind and it took the hint.  
  
----------  
  
/Where the hell is he? What's taking so long? Those fucking bastards at the Ministry are taking their god damn sweet time. What the hell are they doing? Making him mime his statement? I just wish he was back, like right now. I don't know how much longer I can take. Pity? How dare he? Oh, come on, Sev. Where are you? I need you./  
  
It was well past eleven at night and Draco was still pacing in Sev's bedroom. That had been where he'd fled to after the confrontation in the Great Hall. He'd come to wait, and he wasn't leaving until he saw with his own eyes that Sev was okay. That and he was a quite mess himself and in desperate need to feel loved.  
  
"PITY?" He yelled to the empty room. "How dare he? Who the fuck does he think he is? I don't need his pity, and I sure as hell didn't ask for it. I'll show him. I don't need anything! I'm just FINE!" Draco was carefully controlling his temper, not wanting to set anything on fire in this particular room.  
  
/And had that been slight disgust in his eyes that I had seen? Well, that one I had been expecting, given the circumstances, but pity?/ Draco rubbed his face. /Okay Draco, calm down. I think you're overreacting. Damn my stubborn pride. It's not that bad, it could be worse. It could have gone so much worse./  
  
Draco shuddered at the image of 'worse' that his mind happily supplied for him. /Oh, god no. Not that. But he wouldn't. None of them would ever dare. Doesn't mean they don't think it though. But as long as they don't say it. As long as he doesn't, I can live with that./  
  
He could start to feel his paranoia rise up, but he pushed it down, telling himself he was being silly. /Everything will be just fine. I'll talk to him and explain everything. He'll see that I had no choice. He'll forgive me. Everything will be just fine./  
  
He turned quickly as he heard the door being opened.  
  
"Draco?" Sev said in confusion as he stepped in.  
  
Draco rushed over to him and hugged him tightly, grateful that it was being returned just as strongly.  
  
"Albus didn't tell me that you were awake. I was just going to get changed and go see you. I'm so glad you're better."  
  
Draco sighed happily as Sev put his hand on the back of his neck. The familiar warm humming of love started in his skin, completely destroying all bad thoughts and feelings. The rush of feeling absolutely safe took over him and the blonde tried to press even closer to the taller man.  
  
He lifted his head and smiled up, placing his hand on the side of Sev's face and concentrated returning what he could feel. Sev's eyes widen, just as they had the last time he had done this. "Is that really what you feel when I touch you?"  
  
Draco nodded and placed his head on Sev's chest again.  
  
"Well, I'm glad I can be of service, my Master."  
  
Draco snorted with laughter at the title but refused to let go of him when the taller man tried to move. "Well, really Draco. I think you're being silly." But all he did was lift the blonde up and carry him over dropping him on to the bed. "You should get some rest."  
  
"I think I've slept enough lately. I only woke up at lunch time." Draco whined, annoyed at the loss of contact. He got a kiss on the forehead for his troubles and Sev sat down next to him.  
  
"Seriously, how was your day?"  
  
Draco picked idly at the blanket, causing tiny holes to start. "Oh, not too bad. It could have been worse. I, well, I just never expected to survive, you know? I'm not too sure how to be behaving. I didn't plan for any of this."  
  
"Hmm, there were a few moments when I wasn't too sure about my own life, not that I noticed too much of that by the end of it."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Um, I am sorry about that. The whole 'dying in your arms' thing."  
  
"Let's not discuss that right now. Don't want to spoil the good mood I'm suddenly now in. Here."  
  
Sev took something out of the bedside drawers and handed it over. It was a small piece of cloth wrapped with twine. Draco frowned in confusion and look at him.  
  
"Merry Christmas, my little Draco." Sev kissed him of the forehead again as the blonde broke into a smile.  
  
He unbound it quickly and found a small ring, undoubtedly designed to fit on someone's little finger. It held the Snape family emblem and had 'Beloved Son' engraved in tiny writing on the inside of the band. Draco's smile got wider and he threw his arms around Sev's neck forcefully. "Thank you. It's lovely. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too."  
  
Draco hurriedly put the ring on his right-hand's little finger and looked it happily. His smile faltered and his face grew darker. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the prophecy."  
  
"Shh, we'll talk about that another time. And I know why you didn't anyway. You should get some sleep, and I don't care if you're not tired."  
  
Draco nodded and laid down obediently, allowing Sev to pull the blanket up over him. He closed his eyes as Sev stroked his face and he drifted off to the feel of being loved, warming him and making him forget all his worries.  
  
----------  
  
He wandered through the halls absently. He hadn't been able to get back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. He had slipped out of bed and cast a spell so that Sev wouldn't wake up until morning. So now, he walked up and down the many corridors of the school, just to give himself something to do.  
  
"Still walking in the shadows, Draco?"  
  
He didn't even bother to turn around. "Does it really matter where I walk?"  
  
The headmaster fell into step with him. "Perhaps. It would all depend on *why* you walk in such a way."  
  
"I couldn't sleep." Was all the blonde offered.  
  
"Hmm, I see."  
  
"You know, you keep saying that and I keep disbelieving you. Despite what you might hope and think, you *don't* know everything that goes on in this school."  
  
"But I know what troubles you."  
  
"It doesn't take a genius to do that. Haven't you got Gryffindors you should be helping sneak around the school? Putting them in mortal danger? Go bother someone else. I'm not in the mood for you or this right now."  
  
"Come with me. It's time for a little tradition of ours."  
  
Draco sighed, knowing what that meant and followed the older wizard through the halls and up a few staircases. Dumbledore stopped outside of an abandoned classroom and turned to face the blonde. "Do you know what's behind this door?"  
  
"Yes." /What else would it be? I hate doing this./  
  
They went in and Draco obediently went and stared into the mirror after a slight hesitation. He turned his eyes, sadly, away from what he saw.  
  
"And what do you see this year?"  
  
"Pretty much the same as I have every year. I don't know why you insist on me always looking at this thing."  
  
"You've never told me, and for some reason I can never be sure of what you see. Why do you never tell me what the mirror shows you?"  
  
"Still wanting socks, Dumbledore?" Draco said sarcastically.  
  
Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably. "I do not wish to burden anyone with what I see."  
  
"I know what you see."  
  
"Oh, do you indeed?"  
  
"You see yourself, fifty years in the past, proving that Tom Riddle was responsible for the death of that girl. And that he did it on purpose."  
  
Dumbledore stared at him for awhile before speaking. "And why do you think I see that?"  
  
"Because if I were you, that's what I'd want to see. Stop him before Lord Voldemort was ever truly real. Lock him up in Azkaban from that moment. But what's done is done, you really should get over it."  
  
"Should I?"  
  
"You can't change the past, and even if you could, you really shouldn't. Things tend to happen then, and usually you end up with an even worse world. Don't you watch television? Besides, it's not like Voldemort will be the last."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He wasn't the first Dark Lord that tried to rule the world, and he certainly won't be the last. Another will rise up, just hopefully not while I'm still alive. I don't think I could go through all that again."  
  
"Another will come? You really think that?"  
  
"That's how it goes. History will repeat itself. It always has, it always will. But enough with the clichés. I should be going. I grow tired of this mirror." /I hate hoping for what I see./  
  
"Will you never tell me what you see?"  
  
"I'll tell you when I get it." /God, why do I get the feeling that I know what he's going to say? How predictable does he have to be?/  
  
"Draco? I just want you to remember one thing."  
  
/Here it comes./  
  
"It does not do to dwell on dreams."  
  
Draco sighed and thought for something appropriate to say. "True, but it does not do to forget what you fight for, either. Perhaps *you* should remember that?"  
  
"Did you fight for what you see in the mirror?"  
  
"I wouldn't have done so if that wasn't the case. You should at least know that about me, by now."  
  
"What? That you only do what you can for yourself?"  
  
"No. That I only do what I can for the ones that I love. To hell with the rest of the world. It can go jump for all I care."  
  
And with that, Draco walked out of the room and continued on, not caring where he ended up. /I hate that bloody mirror. Taunting, arrogant thing. But to be honest, I have gotten some of the things I wished for. Not as gratifying as I thought it would be, but good enough all the same./  
  
Draco summoned a cigarette for himself and lit it up. He noticed he was slowly walking up to the top of the old Astronomy Tower. Figuring it was better than some places, he continued and went to sit on the edge, staring out at the stars, using some power to form shapes out of the smoke, to entertain himself. He shook his head in disgust as he shaped the smoke to look like Harry's face for the fourth time without meaning to.  
  
/I have *got* to get a grip on things. I'll talk to him tomorrow and get everything sorted out. I really shouldn't go on like this. I'm sure he'll understand./ Draco couldn't quite convince himself of that one. watched as the stars slowly moved around the sky.  
  
/I just hope he doesn't hate me./  
  
----------  
  
"Er, hi, Harry." Draco forced himself not to fidget as Harry looked over to him. /He doesn't look too thrilled to see me. Oh, stop being so paranoid./  
  
"Hi." Harry said back blandly.  
  
/Well, that wasn't the most reassuring tone./ "I think we should have a talk. Would you like to go for a walk?" /Great, and now I'm rhyming. Get a grip, Draco./  
  
"Sure, why not."  
  
The two boys broke away from the group of students and wandered across the grounds. Harry spoke first.  
  
"So, are you feeling better? Fully recovered?"  
  
"Yes, thank you. I'm doing just fine. Not bad for my second day back amongst the living. Well, I suppose it's only the second day to me."  
  
"You were unconscious for eleven days."  
  
"Yeah, Sev told me all about that. Apparently I scared quite a few people, with my dying act."  
  
Harry hadn't seemed to relaxed yet and Draco was unsure about how to continue. He fought back all the panic and tried his best. "Look Harry, there are some things I needed to talk to you about. Some pretty important things really. First off, I just wanted to apologise ...... "  
  
"No need."  
  
"No, there is. I ....... "  
  
"Look, Draco. I know what you're going to say. And I agree. It would be a bad idea for us to be around each other anymore."  
  
/What? But I wasn't ......../ "No, I was ....... "  
  
"Just let it go. So much has changed. You've changed, I've changed. You don't have to apologise for anything, you were just doing your job, and you don't have to say anything more. I've had plenty of time to think about all this and I think we should just let everything go how it is. We're both better off without the other in our lives."  
  
Draco reeled from the conviction in the Gryffindors voice. /So much has changed? Oh, I guess he meant the thing. With Voldemort. Oh god, I had hoped so much he wouldn't do this. I should have listened to Sev. Why the hell didn't I? Because I'm too proud and arrogant for my own good. And I was as scared as all hell./ "Well, if you're sure."  
  
"Believe me, I am."  
  
"This is because .......... "  
  
Harry cut him off again. "This is because, it's best."  
  
"Well, if that's the way you want it." Draco let a little anger into his voice.  
  
"I should go now. Good bye."  
  
Draco flinched at the barely civil tone. "Bye."  
  
He watched as Harry walked away.  
  
"I love you." He whispered to the retreating back. "I'm sorry."  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 3  
  
Draco stopped outside the classroom door and sighed at his hesitation. /Come on, Draco. You can do this. It'll be really simple. You helped destroy Voldemort. How much harder could this be in comparison? .......... Bloody hell of a lot harder, that's how much. Voldemort was one thing, but this? Why do I do this to myself? You'd really think I'd learn, wouldn't you?/  
  
He could hear Sev's voice on the other side of the closed door.  
  
"Despite what some people think and all the rumours that have been flying around since what seems like the beginning of time, I have no wish to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. I am much more content with Potions. That is why I'm pleased to announce that someone else has been found to take over these lessons. Be careful, I wouldn't want to see any of you land in the infirmary. Well, except for maybe you, Mister Weasley."  
  
Draco snorted, trying not to laugh out loud too much. He fiddled with his collar and rubbed his arm. It had been four days since he'd woken up and even Dumbledore had to admit that he was fully recovered. /Physically anyway./  
  
Drawing up all the courage he could muster he opened the door and walked in. "Hey, Sev."  
  
"Good afternoon, Draco. Good luck teaching them anything." Sev walked out and shut the door after himself loudly.  
  
Draco turned to look at the stunned faces. Only Blaise and Justin weren't shocked, as Draco had told them both the night before. To the reaction of much squealing and hugging from both of them, which Draco had stoically tolerated. "Before we start, there are a few things I would like to clarify." Draco moved to sit on the teacher's desk. /Well, *my* desk, I guess./ "First off, Dumbledore asked me to take over the DADA classes until the end of the year and, as it was me who, er, *retired* your previous teacher, I felt it was only fair to say yes."  
  
Still no-one said a word. Draco noticed that Hermione was very close to having her jaw drop on to her desk. Quite a feat, for him. "Secondly, no, Professor Stanton is not dead. Well, not technically anyway. She received her kiss from the Dementors the day after she, um, disappeared from here. She is currently one of them, to the best of my knowledge."  
  
He looked around. Blaise and Justin were sitting next to each other and grinning. Due to the fact that there were pretty much no Slytherins, all the classes now held about thirty students, all of the Houses grouped together in one large class for each year.  
  
"Thirdly, I am wearing muggle clothes because I am truly sick of robes. I've worn enough to last me a lifetime." A soft mutter of 'And taken off just as many' came suspiciously from the table Harry was sitting at. Draco gave him a distrustful look and continued on. "Dumbledore has agreed to waive the dress code for me. I hope no-one objects."  
  
Draco was indeed wearing a black muggle shirt and black pants with his boots. When he had reluctantly checked the mirror before leaving his room, he had noticed it looked as if he was heading to a funeral, or attending his own, considering how thin he was. He had thought it rather appropriate, given the circumstances of late.  
  
As he looked around the room, he tried not to look at Harry. Who, unfortunately for the blonde, was sitting in the very front row with Hermione, Ron and Neville. Neville, was currently staring in awe, rather than shock and Draco internally cringed. /I'll have to talk to him./  
  
"And, before anyone asks, yes. I am perfectly capable to add and deduct points as I see fit. I can also give detentions. Any questions?"  
  
Blaise put his hand up.  
  
"No, you may not." Draco said without blinking and Blaise mock-sulked, crossing his arms and then grinning.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
Hermione blinked and switched to class room mode. "Yes, Professor Malfoy?"  
  
"Er, okay, one more thing. You can call me sir, professor or Draco. Please do not use the M word. I'm really sick of it." He smiled as most of the class seemed to be getting over their shock and relaxing partially. Some of them even smiled back. "Hermione? What was Sasha, oh excuse me, what was Stanton doing before she, um, *left*?"  
  
"We were studying the hazards of Veelas and their abilities to lure."  
  
Draco smiled and hopped off the table. "Really? Excellent. Now *them* I know about. Can I see your book please?"  
  
Hermione happily handed it over and Draco felt the knowledge flow into his mind. He flicked to the suitable page anyway, not wanting more people than necessary to know that he didn't have to read anything at all. Harry snorted at the show and Draco, again, ignored him. He handed the text back after a suitable amount of time.  
  
"Some of the things in your text books are incorrect, so try not to take everything it says to heart."  
  
"YOU are our new teacher?" Ron had obviously woken up from his shock induced daze.  
  
"Yes, and welcome back to reality."  
  
"But, but, but ........... "  
  
"Ron. Do you have any objections to me being your teacher?"  
  
"Yes! For instance ....... "  
  
"Any viable objections? Ones that you would be willingly to express to Dumbledore? He will have to be the one to talk to about this as it was he who told the Ministry to fuck off then they said he was nuts if he thought this was a good idea." Draco smirked as Ron sighed dejectedly. "Now, as I was saying, some of the information in your books is wrong. Veelas are perfectly capable of controlling their seductive abilities. Most of them just choose to not to turn it completely off. Yes?"  
  
Hermione's hand had shot up. "*Why* don't they just turn it off or something?"  
  
"Hermione, if you had the power to get what ever you wanted, simply by standing there, wouldn't you use it?"  
  
"Of course I wouldn't use it. It's almost immoral. In fact, that is *very* immoral, now that I think about it."  
  
"Perhaps, but you don't have the greedy nature that most Veelas have either. The women are brought up, constantly being told, that the world should fall at their feet and grovel. Most of them enjoy it too."  
  
"How come male Veelas or male hybrids can't use it? Er, most of the male hybrids anyway." Hermione blushed, and Draco assumed she was remembering that time he had entranced her to a small degree.  
  
"Some have enough to produce a small effect, but *very* few males have the ability to turn you all into slobbering messes. It hasn't been determined why this is so. Veelas themselves don't know and I certainly have no idea. Now, can anyone tell me why the charms of Veelas have such a bad name? Er, Hermione, how about we give someone else a turn?"  
  
Hermione put her hand down sadly and a Ravenclaw raised his hand.  
  
"Yes, Terry?"  
  
The boy looked shocked that his name was known but went on anyway. "Um, in ancient times they were rather mean, and played up, usually causing death. Such as when they were called Sirens in Greek Mythology, who always tried to get sailors to steer their ships on to the rocks."  
  
"Very good, and I'm assuming Stanton told you that, just as it is with Imperius, if you concentrate hard enough, you can mostly throw off the Veelas effect. You just have to manage to think of something that would be a real downer, so to speak." Neville raised his hand. "Someone or something you wouldn't want to have sex with, Neville." Draco said gently and the boy 'Oh'ed in understanding, his eyes never leaving the blonde. /Definitely need to talk to him./  
  
"Now, throughout history, women have had more success at withstanding the Veela charm and yes, before any of you ask, Veelas are quite capable of turning their power up enough to entice women as well. As most Veelas have no interest in women, this normally is not a problem, but when you capture one against her will, she will use it to escape. Does anyone have a theory as to why women are better at ignoring them? Blaise?"  
  
Blaise, who had been writing again, looked up in confusion. "Huh?"  
  
"Blay, please wait until end of class to write your soppy, love letters." Blaise blushed, shoving his parchment under his book as some snickering started. Draco continued on. "Why are women better at overcoming Veela charm?"  
  
"Er, because most chicks aren't into girl/girl stuff?"  
  
Draco smiled. "Interestingly put, but yes, sexual orientation could be a feasible reason. Anyone else?" Draco's eyebrows went up as Neville's hand was raised again. "Yes?"  
  
"Um, well, er, most women are more in control of their hormones? Er, apparently?"  
  
Draco blinked slowly. "That is an excellent theory, and very accurate. Men are notorious for their lack of control in that area. Perhaps it's not very fair in some cases, but there you have it. Who here thinks they could overcome their lust?"  
  
A hand shot up. "Um, sir? Professor Stanton said her request to have a Veela visit for us to try, was denied. They still aren't happy about the whole Quidditch thing. So the one that normally turns up about this time of year, isn't coming just like the last three years."  
  
"That's fine Ernie, we don't need one." Everyone barring Blaise, Justin and the Trio looked confused. Harry sighed dramatically and leant on the table, clearly trying to show how bored he was. Draco decided that ignoring him was still the best option.  
  
/Especially after that last comment. I'm sure that was him./ "For those of you who aren't aware, Lucius and Narcissa, yes, my blood parents, were both half Veela. Technically, I am too. Due to certain circumstances, I am perfectly capable of enticing anyone I wish to."  
  
Ron snorted with laughter and disbelief. Draco looked over and smiled. "Thank you for volunteering, Ron. Please come up to the front." At first, all Ron did was look stunned, but he got to his feet and marched arrogantly to the front of the room. Draco looked around. "Hermione? Would you like to see how you'd go?"  
  
She obligingly joined her redheaded boyfriend at the front. "Um, we're not going to actually try and do anything to you are we? It's just well, the last time you did this, I had this need to touch you and that was only a small amount so, ... "  
  
"Never fear. I'm placing a barrier between you two and myself. You won't be able to reach me. I'm also placing a sort of protection bubble around the both of you. I don't want you attacking each other if you suddenly consider the other a form of competition for my attentions. It has happened in the past. I will be hitting you as hard as I can, so brace yourselves. At this level it can sometimes tap into your primitive side, you may do some very irrational things. Ready?"  
  
The two nodded and Draco briefly closed his eyes. Ron and Hermione's bodies jerked, as if their knees were giving out and Draco opened his eyes. "I have also contained the magic so that none of you watching, will be affected. Now, I have it on so strong, they probably aren't going to be trying to win me over by claims of them having wealth beyond imagination, or whatever. It is also an amazingly effective interrogation technique. Observe."  
  
Draco, smiling sweetly, turned back to Hermione, who was trying to claw her way through the barrier. "Hello Hermione." Hermione growled. "How is your day going?" Another growl. "Now, now. I'm not going to let you near me until you talk nicely."  
  
"My ........ day ........ is .......... bad." Hermione panted out as if English wasn't her first language.  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"Can't ........... touch." She silently scratched her nails down the invisible barrier.  
  
"Now I'll ask her something, she normally wouldn't answer. Um, something not mortifying, for when she's better, I don't want her attempting to hex me into oblivion for asking about her virginity or something. Hermione? Er, oh bugger it. I can't think of anything. I'm really sorry about this. Are you a virgin?"  
  
"No." She gasped out, still trying to reach him.  
  
Draco turned back to the rest of the class, most of whom were snickering. "As you can see, Ron isn't faring much better." Ron was beating on the barrier in rage at not being able to reach the blonde. The snickering got worse. "Please don't laugh. By the end of this lesson, you will all have done this." The laughing slowly trickled off.  
  
"Ron, are you a virgin?"  
  
"Yes." The redhead managed to spit out.  
  
Draco's eyes widened in shock as even the Gryffindors started to laugh. "Um, well, that was unexpected."  
  
Suddenly Hermione gasped and dragged herself away from Draco hurriedly. "Oh my god! That is so embarrassing. I hate it when you do that. I can't believe you asked me that. Oh god."  
  
"Congratulations. Miss Granger has successfully knocked it away." Draco sighed and looked at Ron. "Are you even trying?"  
  
"Er, Draco? I'm still feeling a little funny?"  
  
"Perfectly normal, Hermione. Don't worry about it. It's sort of like an aftershock. It'll pass soon and you'll return to only having eyes for this one here." He gestured to Ron who was sobbing in frustration and leaning on the barrier. "Or at least, that's what most of us probably thought *before* I started with the questions." Hermione blushed, but she was smiling softly.  
  
A few more minutes later Ron finally beat it and lay panting on the floor. "Don't ever ... do that ... again. Oh god ..... my mind needs a shower. A very cold shower, preferably using acid to clean it up a little. I'm going to be having nightmares for years. I can't believe some of the things ....... "  
  
"In your own time, Mister Weasley. I mean, whenever you're ready to get up off the floor and stop whining about your life, please feel free to do so." Draco smirked as Ron dragged himself up and slouched back to his desk. "Now, who's ready for some real fun? Hermione? Ron? You two may sit this one out, I suggest you move to the back of the room."  
  
Ron muttered 'thank god' and Draco smiled, continuing on. "Please move all of your personal possessions to the sides of the room. I am about to put you all, barring our two example cases, under my influence. The first to break it, wins their house twenty points. The last four remaining affected, will have to clean the room after it's over. Trust me, the room will be trashed."  
  
Ten minutes later, the room was indeed wrecked and fifteen students were still clawing at the barrier as Draco sat calmly on his desk, smoking and reading something Sev had left behind.  
  
"DRACO!" Sev stormed into the room. "We can hear your class all the way down in the dungeons! What on earth ............... oh for, are you doing that stupid Veela thing again?"  
  
"Class, as you can see Professor Snape is completely unaffected, due to his firm belief of me as a, er, relative. Please note that if you already care strongly for the person, in a non-sexual way, it is highly unlikely that you will be overwhelmed with the need to fuck them senseless."  
  
Sev looked around at the dishevelled room. "Who won?"  
  
"Blaise, closely followed by Harry and then Neville. But I don't think the others had it very fair. Blaise has had practice at it. Neville actually did amazingly well, considering he's usually somewhat bad at concentration." Neville grinned at the odd compliment and Draco smiled back at him.  
  
"You are going to be cleaning this up, aren't you?" Sev said suspiciously.  
  
"Nope, four of these lucky few are." Draco motioned to the remaining mob, which was now down to seven.  
  
"You just want to be adored, don't you?" Sev said playfully, though it sounded perfectly serious to everyone else.  
  
"Perhaps, perhaps." Draco smiled gently. /All depends on who it is./  
  
"Try to have your next lesson conducted in a manner that is a little less exuberant. Miss Hyland is already bad enough at brewing her potions without having to wonder whether or not your class is trying to kill you." Draco nodded, smiling powerfully, causing the, now six, students to almost drool on to their shoes and Sev walked out, shaking his head in amusement.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 4  
  
Draco rushed to catch up to Harry after the class was over. "Harry. Harry, wait up, will you?"  
  
The Gryffindor spun around, scowling. "What now?"  
  
Draco stopped in shock at the outright hostility on the other boy's face, but shook it off quickly and walked up to him. "Er, want to go for a walk?" /Don't stutter, don't waver, don't show him you're bleeding. Pull yourself together, for Christ's sake./  
  
"I thought we agreed to avoid each other?"  
  
/Well, fuck you too. Jesus, friendly guy, isn't he?/ "Well technically, only you did. But this is serious."  
  
"I see no reason for us to spend anymore time than absolutely necessary, together. It's bad enough we now have to be in a class together."  
  
/Just ignore it, just ignore it./ "Um, the connection." Draco said softly as a group of second years walked past, staring at the two boys in varying levels of awe. Both boys ignored them.  
  
"What of it?"  
  
"Well, we, er, have to break it. You resealed it when you brought me back. So, now we have to break it again."  
  
"No."  
  
"Er, sorry, what?"  
  
"I said 'No', I have my reasons for keeping it."  
  
"Care to share them?"  
  
"I don't care to share anything with you."  
  
"Well, you're sharing the connection with me."  
  
"I have plans for it. Plans, that do not include you. I've discovered some rather useful things about it. But thankfully, I don't need your help, for any over them."  
  
Draco frowned at him. "Did you bring me back to life, purely to be an arsehole towards me?"  
  
"Perhaps, why do you care as to why I did it?"  
  
"Well, it is *my* life."  
  
"Yeah, and you owe it all to me."  
  
/Yeah, thanks a fucking bunch, for that too./ "I don't think I owe you anything. I've saved you a hundred times. So you saved me once, big deal."  
  
"I wasn't already dead at any of those times."  
  
"Oh, well, I'm *so* sorry, next time I'll wait until you are." Draco spat, feeling his anger rising. By this time, Ron and Hermione had started to literally back away, just in case either boy did something rash to the other or anyone else in the vicinity.  
  
"There won't be a next time. You know, all of these attempts on my life never happened before you turned up. Except for the first one."  
  
"Oh, come on. You're not going to start pinning them all on me, are you? They started up again because you came back to the Wizarding world."  
  
"I'll damn well blame who ever I want!"  
  
"Are you going to let me break it or not?" Draco's patience was nearly gone.  
  
"Or not, now fuck off."  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"I said, Fuck. Off." Harry spoke, as if trying to explain something to a small child. "Did dying make you deaf?"  
  
"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mister Potter." Draco said blandly. "Try to show a little respect to your professors."  
  
"Respect? To someone like you? To someone who has ......... " Harry trailed off and shut his mouth with a snap.  
  
Draco bristled at the unspoken words. /Now, now. He might not have been going to say what you think he was going to./ The blonde held on to that thought tightly. "I will be speaking to Dumbledore about this. He'll get you to do it. He'll convince you to break it, despite whatever your plans are."  
  
"Don't bet on it. Now, if you'll excuse me, *professor*." Harry said the last word with sarcasm, and turned away, walking towards the staircase that led to his dorms. Ron followed in silence.  
  
/And I love the guy because .......... ?/ Draco stared after the two boys, frowning slightly. He looked to Hermione who just shrugged. "I don't know. He's been sort of like that since you two spoke at the old Astronomy Tower. Then he just got worse. Um, I wanted to thank you, for everything you've done."  
  
"Please don't."  
  
"Oh, okay. Um, I have to go, bye."  
  
"Yeah, bye." Draco said absently, keeping his emotions in check. He rubbed his arm.  
  
"Oh, and Draco?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"I think you'll make a wonderful teacher." She smiled sincerely.  
  
He sent a half-smile of his own back. "Thanks.  
  
----------  
  
"How was you first lesson?" Sev walked in and kissed him on the forehead as he was making his quills dance on the desk top.  
  
"Fine." Draco said distractedly. He made the quills dance faster.  
  
"Then what's bothering you?"  
  
"Why do you think there is anything bothering me?"  
  
"Because the last time you did this," Sev caught the quills gently and placed them down. "Was when you found out that Harry was going to be accepted into the Triwizard Tournament and go up against a dragon."  
  
"He did that one really well didn't he?" Draco said slowly.  
  
"Personally, I was surprised that the dragon left her eggs under any condition. He's certainly not that annoying. I wonder what made her fly up? And so soon? I've seen dragons sit on their eggs with wizards throwing hex after hex at them. Not even a blink of an eye. I wonder what go to that one?"  
  
Draco smiled softly at the desk, remembering that day well. "No idea. I guess it was just the Gryffindor charm."  
  
"Indeed." Sev said dryly. "After all, it's impossible to communicate with a dragon, unless you have dragon blood in your veins. So we certainly can't accuse him of doing that."  
  
"Very true. And who on earth has dragon blood these days?" Draco said playfully, remembering the silent but very heated argument he'd had with that dragon, after she had hurt Harry's arm.  
  
Sev sat down and gently lifted Draco's face. "What's wrong?"  
  
Draco looked away again. "He hates me. I mean he *really* hates me. But, oh, I don't know. I ... I ... I guess I'm just trying to readjust to everything, you know? It's a little weird. I spent what seemed like forever, knowing I was going to die." Draco smiled softly at Sev. "And then wham. I wake up and get told I'm alive."  
  
"Surely that's cause for celebration?"  
  
"Yeah, surely." Draco said tentatively.  
  
"Draco, please. Just tell me." Sev said softly and then cradled his face with both hands.  
  
Draco smiled as all his problems seemed to dissolve at the touch. Nothing ever bothered him when that warm feeling started. /Just like a drug, only beautiful. No nasty side effects either./  
  
"Draco?"  
  
He looked into Sev's worried eyes.  
  
"It's just that .......... well, it's just that I was supposed to die. Part of me was looking forward to my death."  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"No, no, not looking forward, those aren't the right words. I just, I just justified a lot of what I did, by telling myself that soon it wouldn't matter."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Knowing that I was going to die, was sometimes the only way I could get through the day. It was the only way I could bring myself ....... to initiate certain things. And then to cope with them, afterwards." Draco said softly, averting his eyes. "I was suppose to die."  
  
"Oh." Sev said gently. "I see." And Draco knew that he did.  
  
Silence stretched between the two of them.  
  
"Is that the reason you're still not eating properly?" Sev looked as if he was unsure that he should push the topic further.  
  
"Don't I?"  
  
"Please don't play word games with me. I get enough of that from Dumbledore."  
  
"Sorry." Draco dragged his face away from Sev's hands and stood up. "I should get back to the dorms. Make sure Blaise and Justin aren't making out on my bed. Or worse."  
  
"Draco ........ "  
  
"Just, please, not now. I need time. We all do." Draco leant over and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
Draco shut the door after himself quietly.  
  
----------  
  
Draco collapsed on to his bed. He'd magically altered it, making it the same size as the ones in his other two rooms. The one at Malfoy Castle and the one at Snape Manor. He'd gotten sick of rolling off this one, as he had the first two nights of being alive and conscious again. /I never used to toss and turn that much./ He rubbed his arm again and undid his sleeve button, pushing it up to stare at the pale unmarred skin.  
  
The skin where his Dark Mark had used to be. There wasn't even a faint shadow to show where it had once been, but he knew, from memory, exactly where it was missing from.  
  
/This just feels so wrong. I thought I'd get used to it not being there, but I haven't. The flames don't flicker anymore and it just feels so wrong./  
  
He pushed his sleeve down as Blaise and Justin walked in.  
  
"Hey Drake." They said in unison.  
  
"Hey guys, how do you think I went?"  
  
"Your lesson was cool. It's gonna be so great having you as our teacher." Justin dropped down to lie next to him as Blaise sat at the end of the bed.  
  
"Well, at least someone's happy about it." Draco said, not letting them know exactly how upset he was about the whole Harry thing.  
  
"Look, it's really simple and you already know it. It's like a fact of life. Gryffindors ... Are ... Insane." Draco snorted at Blaise's comment. "Just don't let him get to you. He'll get over whatever the hell it is and things will be just fine. He can't live without you forever."  
  
"Of course he can. And he's stubborn enough to try it, too." /Besides, I've got a feeling, he won't be able to get over what's bothering him. I can't blame him really. I definitely should have listened to Sev on this one./  
  
"Well, I don't think so." Justin sat up and loomed over Draco's outstretched body. "We was pretty wrecked after you supposedly left. And he looked devastated at your death. I think he just needs some time. You know, to get over you being mean to him and everything."  
  
"I had to be."  
  
"Yeah, I know, and he'll work that out. He'll come around, you'll see."  
  
"Mmm." Draco turned to lie on his side. "And what are you two going to be doing tonight? Do I need to move to Albania to avoid the noise?"  
  
Justin blushed as Blaise sniggered. "I don't think that's necessary."  
  
"You know, Drakie?" Justin ran his hand down Draco's face. "The offer to join is still open, if you get bored."  
  
Draco smiled at the warmth that Justin's friendship made on his skin. He was well aware that, while they didn't 'love' love him, they certainly didn't mind the idea of him joining in. He gently removed Justin's hand and smiled arrogantly. "No thank you, threesomes with commoners such as yourselves, aren't my thing and for god's sake, stop calling me that."  
  
"But it's so cute? Why can't I?"  
  
"Because I said so. And, as you both know .... You do, what I say ..... " Draco trailed off and waited for them to finished it themselves.  
  
"When I say it!" The two boys said together and the three of them snickered.  
  
"You fucking terrified me, that first night." Justin said, sulking slightly. "I thought I was as good as dead. I was so scared."  
  
Draco's smile got wider. "I know. It was so much fun. You certainly relieved the boredom for awhile."  
  
"Yeah." Blaise chimed in. "You were practically convulsing in fear."  
  
Draco and Blaise both dissolved into chuckles as Justin crossed his arms moodily. "Bastards." he playfully hit Draco in the arm and stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend.  
  
Blaise's response to that was to kiss the offered tongue and a small smile crossed Justin's face. Draco groaned. "Argh, okay, okay, I'm going to Albania, now."  
  
"You don't want to watch?"  
  
"Seen it all before. On my bed, as well. I hope the house-elves at the castle, clean it well." Both boys slapped him lightly at that and he smiled. "Honestly, why don't you just both move into the sixth year dorms, those things are empty. Stra's the oldest after Blaise and I and she's only a fourth year."  
  
"Yeah right, like Snape would let us." Justin said, rolling his eyes.  
  
Draco faked a yawn. "I'll tell him tomorrow. He'll agree to it."  
  
"No he won't." Blaise added.  
  
"Of course he will. This is me, remember? I'm great at those sort of things. Especially with poor old Sev. He just can't say no to me." /Though now I wish he could. I'll bet he does too./  
  
"You're such a spoilt brat." They both said at the same time.  
  
"Damn straight, now fuck off and go fuck. I need some sleep." He lied, knowing he wouldn't sleep for ages, until he finally fell into exhaustion.  
  
"You really should go to dinner."  
  
"I'm not hungry." Draco said truthfully. /Even just the idea of food, makes me feel ill./ "I'll have something tomorrow." He knew that one was a lie.  
  
They nodded, showing with their eyes that they were not believing him in the slightest, but left the room anyway after Blaise grabbed something out of his drawers. Undoubtedly heading for the sixth year dorms. "Night Drake."  
  
"Yeah, night."  
  
He stared at the ceiling, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep and thought over the last few years of his life. He finally broke out of thought as he realised he was rubbing his arm again.  
  
Deciding to relieve the discomfort in the only way he knew how, he sat up and summoned his wand to his hand. /No-one has to know that I've done this. It's just to make it feel right. It doesn't mean anything. I'm not obsessive./ He placed the tip of his wand on his arm and his lips started to move without any sound.  
  
He spent nearly an hour, altering and perfecting his new mark and looked at it curiously when he was finally satisfied that it was done. His arm finally felt as it should, as the new flames flickered over his pale skin. It wasn't exact, but it was what he considered perfect. He much preferred it this way. Mildly contented with his work and it's results, he lay back down, closing his eyes and he forced himself to drift off into a restless sleep.  
  
/I hate my dreams./  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 5  
  
The last of the third years wandered out of the classroom, chatting excitedly about the lesson they had just finished.  
  
"Er, Professor Draco, sir?"  
  
Draco looked up from what he was writing and smiled softly at Neville Longbottom, who had his head just poking out from around the door. "When I asked you to call me, professor, sir or Draco, I never said you had to call me all three, Neville. Come on in. Can I help you? Er, you haven't come here to ooze gratitude at me, have you?"  
  
A look of indecision crossed the boy's face but then he shook his head as he came further into the room. Draco let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god. Cause, it'd be real weird and everything, you know? That and I had ulterior motives when I brought your parents back to the real world, so it's not like I'm a saint."  
  
"I, um, just came to ask about that, not shower you with gratitude. Despite how much you actually do deserve it." Draco rolled his eyes as Neville hurried on. "I know why you fixed my dad, he knew the old secret Auror signal to send up, the one they don't even tell the new Aurors about. But my mother? I don't understand that one. And I'm not in anyway displeased, so don't get me wrong, but why did you cure her?"  
  
"I'd like to say, 'because it wouldn't be fair to bring one back without the other' and even though I did think that, that wasn't the reason. Have a seat." Draco motioned with his hand and Neville sat down hurriedly, smiling thankfully. "I did it, basically because I had to. Are you sure you want to hear this?"  
  
Neville nodded furiously and Draco took a calming breath. "Your father's mind was very badly damaged, they both were. Shattered, I guess you could say. Everything was mixed up, and in the wrong place. All their thoughts and memories weren't connected properly. That's what I had to do. Rebuild everything from scratch. I had to catalogue all their memories and then reorder them. Then rebuild their thought processors. Anyway, soon into it, I realised that I'd need both of them, not just your father."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"They were different, um, your father, Frank, was tortured for much longer. Consequently, some of his mind wasn't just shattered, but blank or seriously flawed. Like a badly scratched CD, that you can't play. I had to use your mother's memories to help fill in some of the blanks, so that he could function properly, without so much chaos going on in his head."  
  
Draco looked at Neville. The boy was practically falling off his chair, listening to every word. "It wasn't easy. I had to take her memories, and tamper with them, until I could basically get it to form what would have been his point of view. Then, simulate how he would have felt, based on his values and behaviour. That meant I had to copy the memories to my own mind, flip them and then transfer them to Frank. It took quite awhile."  
  
"Was it painful?" Neville inched his chair closer, looking concerned.  
  
"It wasn't pain, more like disorientation. A dull ache that throbbed, confusing me and very draining, even in short periods of time. Having memories that you know aren't yours, ............... mind bending."  
  
"Do you still have them?"  
  
"I have the memory of seeing them, but not actually the memories themselves. It was too unsettling so I didn't just copy them to your father, I forced the whole thing on to him. Dangerous, I know, but thankfully everything seems to have worked out well. How are they by the way?"  
  
Neville's face perked up and Draco had to smile. "Oh, they're just fine. Both are a little, um, off, still but they're settling in. They asked about you every day. Wanting to know if you'd woken up yet. They're staying at Hogsmeade for awhile, they want to come see you as soon as you've settled back in yourself."  
  
"I don't deserve thanks you know. I was only doing what I had to do. I needed that signal for the big battle. The one that never happened. Well, never happened when we had planned for it, anyway."  
  
"Of course you deserve ...... "  
  
"NO! I'm going to tell you this once and once only, so please listen. I am *not* a hero. I just did what I had to do. Please don't thank me. I don't deserve it and I certainly haven't earned any of this awe and respect that people keep trying to force upon me."  
  
Draco stood up, collecting his books and then his face softened as he saw the bewildered look on Neville's face. "I'm not a hero, Neville. I've done too many other things, horrific things, to be called that. Things I can't even admit to myself. Good day. Don't forget your assignment that's due on Friday."  
  
He walked out, leaving the Gryffindor to stare at the door in wonder.  
  
----------  
  
Draco slid into the large bath and let the large blue bubbles he had chosen, to come up to his face. He was in the teacher's bathroom, which was even more impressive than the one assigned to the Prefects. And the beautiful thing about this one was you could place a small metallic disc into an indent in the wall from the inside and the other teachers would know it was occupied, that the person inside was wishing to be left alone.  
  
Draco shuddered at the thought of any of the other teachers doing things that would demand privacy. A brief image of Flitwick slipped past his futile attempts at mentally blocking such things. /Ew. Like I'm not mentally scarred enough by this time. Thanks ever so much brain. I just appreciate it immensely. Now rack off, I'm here to try and escape you. I have a lesson in three hours. Oh god, fourth years. Well at least I can pick on Stra./  
  
He ran his hands, covered in small green bubbles, from his forehead to the back of his head. Magically restraining all the thoughts that had been plaguing him in the last few days and he sighed as all his troubles seemed to slowly dissolve. /Ignorance truly is bliss./  
  
The spell worked it way through, repressing his least favourite memories. He was well aware that it was dangerous to mess with his own mind, but he was desperate for relief from his inner turmoil. Large parts of his childhood suddenly didn't exist as far as he could tell, but he wasn't panicked. The spell always took into account the panic that is felt when people realise they can't remember certain things. It basically made a mental link, a warning to the effect of 'You don't want to know. You've repressed it.' and that was all that Draco needed to know, to leave it alone.  
  
What disturbed and worried him the most was that, out of over the seventeen years he had been alive, he could barely squeeze everything left into just under three. The last almost completely happy memory he had was the day before he had found out that Voldemort wished for him to return, on a permanent basis. The entire time between leaving Harry's bed that night, the day before sixth year had finished and him meeting Sev in his rooms after waking up, was almost completely blank with the warning written in larger than normal writing. The only thing that was in that time period was a couple of brief meetings he had with Sev.  
  
He sighed and let his head drift under the two different layers of bubbles and then under the water. /God I wish I could keep this spell on all the time. It's not nearly as bad as knowing that something is wrong, instead of knowing exactly what's wrong. Just don't have to deal with anything./  
  
Unfortunately for Draco, keeping this spell on would severely disorientate him out in the real world. As most of his life was blocked from recollection he could normally only focus on a small task, to avoid confusion and frustration. Which was why he only used it at bath times. But sometimes he wished that the spell would also take away the memory of how to break it. Just so he'd have an excuse to leave it on indefinitely.  
  
He resurfaced and just lay there, head on the fluffy water-proof cushion in the pool side, head rest with his body floating lazily on the surface, knowing that this was, for some reason, a good time, a calmer time, therefore enjoying it. He drifted into a light doze.  
  
A small noise broke him from his tranquil drifting and he looked around. He was just about to greet the new comer brightly when an alarm sounded inside his mind loudly. It was telling him that he had to disconnect the memory block before proceeding.  
  
Confused, he did what it asked quickly and internally groaned as all his memories were once again accessible. His uninvited visitor was staring at him in surprise. "Ten points from Gryffindor, for being where you aren't suppose to be and for interrupting me, Mister Potter. Please leave." He was happy that his voice stayed chiefly bland, with only slight annoyance as it's base emotion.  
  
Harry scowled and walked forwards as Draco checked his watch. /Half an hour before class anyway. Damn./  
  
"What are *you* doing here?"  
  
"I'm a teacher. Or hadn't you noticed?"  
  
Harry snorted with sarcastic amusement and Draco resisted the urge to get up and punch him. /Arrogant, insolent prick. NO! No, don't think that thought further./  
  
"Why are the bubbles only green and blue?"  
  
/Because I'm obsessed./ "Because I like those colours. Do you have a problem with that?"  
  
"I might."  
  
"I'm paralysed with not giving a damn. Now get out before I issue you a detention."  
  
Harry merely continued walking around the room. "What's wrong with all the mirrors?"  
  
Mirrors did indeed cover most of the wall space of the large room. /Apparently the founders had been very fond of their reflections./ All of the mirrors currently showed either a rain-forest scene with birds flying around, or a quiet stream, the water running over rocks gently, causing an almost inaudible, trickling noise. "Nothing, they're fine." Draco said shortly.  
  
He had changed them himself soon after walking into the room, as he found he couldn't bring himself to look at his own reflection. It had gotten so bad, he'd almost run out. He couldn't explain the feeling in his stomach whenever he'd tried to raise his eyes. His loathing of mirrors had steadily been getting stronger since his awakening. He told himself it was because he couldn't stand to see how thin he'd gotten and that he would be fine once he put some weight back on.  
  
He didn't look exceptionally unhealthy but he knew he was much thinner than before. He ignored the rational thought of that he'd have to actually eat if he wanted to put weight on. He once again sulked at the fact that putting weight on by using magic, usually led to very bad consequences. He refused to acknowledge what he had seen the last time he'd viewed his reflection, a few days ago.  
  
"What the hell do you do if you want to look at yourself?"  
  
Harry broke Draco from his thinking and the blonde glared, adding a touch of condescension to his voice. "Well, obviously you change them back to being reflective. Now, get out."  
  
"No. Dumbledore himself gave me the password, so I could get some quiet time."  
  
/Good old fucking Dumbledore. Why am I not surprised?/  
  
"Don't you have a class soon anyway, *professor*?"  
  
Sighing, Draco decided to give this one up. He got his footing on the steps and hoisted himself out of the water. He didn't miss the fact that Harry suddenly looked away from his naked, bubble-clad form and he smirked, throwing the finger at the Gryffindor's back.  
  
The gesture went unnoticed, no mirrors to reflect it to the Gryffindor. He was grateful for this fact when he realised it meant that Harry couldn't see the mark on his left arm. He quickly cast a concealment charm and his arm appeared unmarred again.  
  
"You really love parading around, don't you?" Harry's voice conveyed exactly how sickened he was at Draco's blunt actions. "Quite the little exhibitionist."  
  
The blonde cringed and then forced himself to appear proud and confident. He found it was getting harder and harder to slip into his well worn routine of arrogance, but he hadn't totally lost his touch yet. "Why should I cover up? There's nothing here that you haven't begged to see before. Gone all virtuous, have you?" Was his snide reply.  
  
Harry didn't answer. Draco grabbed up his towel and started to dry himself off. "The great Harry Potter, attempting to be as white as snow as the Daily Prophet makes him out to be, huh? How laughable. You never complained about my body before. Clothes or no clothes."  
  
"Things change. People wise up."  
  
"What? Are you trying to tell me that you think you have? Please. Don't insult my intelligence."  
  
"I'll just pick something else from the long list, huh?"  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow haughtily. "Still a child I see. When will you grow up Mister Potter?"  
  
"I already did, or haven't you noticed the fact that I can't stand to look at you anymore?"  
  
Draco finished drying himself and magicked his clothes back on. He walked over to the Gryffindor and refused to acknowledge the look of disdain on Harry's face he saw when the Gryffindor turned his head slightly. The other boy backed off as he sensed that Draco was getting closer.  
  
"What's the matter, Harry? Don't want me to touch you? Don't want your true emotions betrayed, huh?"  
  
"I wouldn't think you'd *want* to experience disgust and loathing."  
  
Draco tilted his head to the side. "Is that what I'd feel?" He asked thoughtfully.  
  
"It's what *I'd* feel." Harry spat back, turning to fully face the blonde again. "If you think I want you touching me, after everything that's happened, think again. You were right, it wasn't love and I couldn't care less what you do now. Just don't touch me."  
  
Draco cast a spell that put a strong leash on his emotions. "Couldn't care less? You seemed pretty upset when I died, from what I remember and from what I've heard since." /And it was love you prat, I lied./  
  
"I've had plenty of time to think about things. I'm not as gullible as I once was. You can't flutter your pretty blue eyes at me anymore and expect me to grovel at your feet."  
  
"And why would I want you anywhere near me or my feet? But at least you still think my eyes are pretty." Draco, tired of hearing all the things Harry wasn't saying, turned and started to leave the room. But he didn't miss the cringe Harry made when he realised what he'd said about Draco's eyes. "Don't be late for your next class, Mister Potter. Good day."  
  
"Get fucked."  
  
It was only a whisper, but Draco heard it. "Another ten points from Gryffindor." He retrieved his disc and shut the door after himself, softly.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 6  
  
Draco as good as ran from the room when his last lesson for the day was through. He even managed to get out before any of the students which was amazing as this year's sixth years were well known for their rapid departures from classrooms. More so than any other class Hogwarts had this year. They were always rushing somewhere, something about tricks to play and people to aggravate.  
  
They had grasped the fact that school would be over for them soon and were making the best of the time they had left, with gusto.  
  
Draco personally believed it to be largely the fault of Ginny and Colin. From what he had been told, those two had played up more that year than the Weasley twins. Or to be truthful, more than the Weasley twins had ever. But the teachers, most of them anyway, had always let them slide as they saw it was just a way for Gin to take her mind off of her mother's disappearance. Sev, of course, had said that treating her differently would only cause harm in the long run, so the two had been perfect angels around him, knowing they couldn't get away with anything.  
  
But still, this day Draco beat them all to the door and muttered a hurried goodbye. He rushed to his room and collapsed on to the bed. Blaise's things were no where to be seen as he had commandeered the sixth year room of the Slytherin dorms, as Draco had suggested. Draco wasn't too sure why he had turned down Dumbledore's offer of the DADA Professor's rooms, but he secretly believed so that he would be as closer to Sev as possible.  
  
That and the fact that he had *some* fond memories of this room.  
  
/Hexing Goyle to bound from bed to bed until he lost his balance and crashed into the wardrobe. Straight through the solid oak wardrobe door. Now, *that* had been fun. Helping Crabbe to carry an unconscious Goyle to infirmary on the other hand ....... Oh well, I guess it was worth it./  
  
It confused Draco. While he certainly had never had any (not even mildly friendly) feelings to his old keepers, the one's who reported to their own fathers on a daily basis of what they'd seen and heard that Draco had been up to, their fathers in turn contacting Lucius, he still felt guilty about how things had worked out for them. In the six years he'd shared a room with them, he'd learnt to tolerate them.  
  
/Damned if I know how, though. Insufferable prats that they were. Only time they were even remotely interesting was when they weren't even them./ Draco smiled at the memory of when Ron and Harry had, undoubtedly using Polyjuice, turned themselves into looking like the two, now powerless and incarcerated, morons.  
  
/Trying to work out if I was the Heir of Slytherin, no doubt. Oh please, give me some credit. If I was, I sure has hell wouldn't have told those idiots./ Draco looked around the nearly empty room. /On the up side of having most of the people I went to school with gone, Pansy isn't knocking on the door every five minutes, asking me if I like her hair this way, or that way, or any fucking way. Seriously, there was something exceptionally wrong with that girl./  
  
In fact it was very silent in the dorms. /Blaise is probably off somewhere with that Hufflepuff of his. Um, let's see, first years have class, the three second years are in the library and Stra's out on the Quidditch field. What the hell is she doing out there on her own?/ Draco contemplated going to check it out but gave it up in favour of going through his trunk to find his magically altered bottle of Tequila. /Damn Sev for getting me on this stuff./  
  
He poured himself a glass and ran the conversation he'd had with Harry in the bathroom through his head. He'd done that pretty much the entire two lessons he'd taught after that meeting, fourth years, followed by the sixth years, his mouth on auto-pilot, talking of the things they were covering. At least he hoped he had. Even now he couldn't remember what they were, but none of the students had corrected him as to what they were studying so he hoped to god he'd been relevant and coherent.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"It would be a bad idea for us to be around each other anymore."  
  
"Respect? To someone like you? To someone who has ......... "  
  
"If you think I want you touching me, after everything that's happened ..... "  
  
"Get fucked."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
/Well, right back at you, Mister Harry Fucking Potter./ Draco noticed that the bottle was now about half empty, he wasn't worried. He also had taken to drinking it straight from the bottle. This didn't concern him in the least. He was drinking alone. And that thought just made him more depressed. /Not exactly a motivation to stop drinking. But still drinking alone. Ah, it's a vicious circle. God, I gotta lay off the clichés./ He took another swig from the bottle and lay back staring up at his canopy.  
  
/I should go to dinner and at least pretend to eat. Nah, not good to pretend to eat on a drunk stomach./ He softly snorted and took another drink. /Where and when the hell did my life go so wrong? This is all Voldemort's fault. Damn him to hell. If it wasn't for him I never would have been born. I'll have to go see him, sort a few things out. When I get dragged off for my trial I'll take a little detour. I *have* to see him./  
  
"Bloody Voldemort." Draco slurred unsteadily as he sat up and nearly fell off the bed. Sighing, he put down the now empty bottle and looked over at the full length mirror that had been ordered for, to shut Pansy up when she had complained bitterly that she could never see herself properly when she was visiting. Draco's response had at first been 'Why would you want to?' quickly followed by 'Then don't visit at all.'  
  
That had earned him a week of her ignoring him. A week he had spent, thinking up other things that would make her go away, but still let him remain in his 'I'm a Malfoy, fuck off' character.  
  
But in the end, Crabbe and Goyle had both asked their fathers for the mirror, to keep her quiet. Draco didn't know why it was still here. He blinked drunkenly at it. It was completely black, something that Blaise had decided not to query after Draco had given him a look.  
  
He couldn't see his reflection but he could imagine what it looked like. A thin, pale, blonde boy who looked as if he mostly covered in black ink. Ink that seemed to move around his body, sometimes, it would cover his face and hands, or sometimes if would move to his stomach. That had been what he'd seen the last time he looked at his reflection.  
  
He knew perfectly well, that it had only been his imagination, but he couldn't help but wonder if others could see it too. If they looked hard enough. /Maybe Harry did? Who knows what that boy can do, he's very strong./  
  
Draco walked to the mirror and patted it. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who's the fairest whore of all." He giggled and lay down again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Don't get me wrong my *Lord*. I don't consider myself your equal. But I am *certainly* not your whore."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
/HA. Yeah right./ "I deserve a fucking Academy Award for some of the shit I pulled off. Always so fucking unappreciated. Don't deserve thanks but god, a little credit would be nice. Fucking Ministry." He announced to the empty room. He sighed gratefully as the magically enhanced alcohol finally reached a certain level and he passed out.  
  
----------  
  
Draco woke up and instantly recognised the side effects to drinking. Muttering a strong pain-killer spell, he lay on his bed, waiting for the hangover to subdue itself. This was the thing he hated the most about being so powerful. He had no excuse to simply enjoy the feeling of his brain trying to pound it's way out of his skull. He tried to remember what day it was and groaned softly, realising it was Friday, therefore the only class he had to teach was the seventh years, between lunch and dinner.  
  
/Why the fuck do lessons have to be so god damn long? Maybe I should go claim stupidity at Dumbledore and see if I can get Sev to teach them instead. I could teach fourth year potions. That's simple./  
  
Draco sighed. He knew how much Sev disliked teaching DADA. Too many bad memories. Draco ignored that fact that his weren't the best either and gave into the inevitable, sitting up slowly. He glared at Pansy's old mirror. It made a curious noise and cracked in three places. Draco blinked slowly. /Wow, and subconscious wins again./ He walked over and looked it over curiously. He traced some of the spider web cracks thoughtfully and watched as they closed up.  
  
The mirror, being completely whole and fixed again sat there. Draco had the absurd idea it was silently challenging him to change it back and look at his reflection. He scowled and put his fist through it. Literally. He'd punched it so hard he'd even pushed through the wood behind the glass.  
  
Sulking at his weakness he dragged his hand back out and watched gloomily as his tattered skin healed itself.  
  
/Come on Dray, this isn't helping anyone, besides, gotta go to class again./  
  
"Drake?" Blaise's head was stuck out from behind the door.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Dumbledore wants you in his office, he said it was sort of important."  
  
Draco sighed and got up. "Yeah, okay. See ya in class."  
  
"Bye."  
  
He slowly made his ways to the headmaster's office and groaned loudly at the scene that met him. Sev and Dumbledore were sitting with Harry and Sirius Black. "What now?" He said, dropping into the last empty chair.  
  
Dumbledore smiled and Draco resisted the urge to slap it off. "Sirius has just been telling me that he has some objections to you teaching."  
  
Draco stifled a genuine yawn. "I'm sure many people will and probably already do. Am I to endure every session like this when they turn up to bitch and moan?"  
  
"I told Dumbledore that he must be mad, to do this." Sirius said.  
  
Draco was surprised to hear that the Animagus was mostly keeping his anger in check. "That's what the Ministry said."  
  
"And what do you say?"  
  
"I just do my job."  
  
"To let someone like you, mingle with the students? It's unheard of."  
  
Draco felt Sev tense up and he rested his hand on the elder man's arm, shaking his head lightly. "Enjoying your freedom Sirius? I heard you were found innocent of your previous charges."  
  
"You're going to take the credit for that?" Harry spat. "I hardly see how you should."  
  
"I think I can at least take the credit for the fact that he's still alive." Draco looked to Black. "Despite how many times he tried to get himself killed.  
  
Black's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I remember the help you gave me when I was captured the second time. You handed me over to that lunatic with the knives."  
  
Draco failed at repressing his smile. "That was Sev. He used Polyjuice. And the knives were just for show. It's not like he actually cut you." Draco shot a look at Sev. "Did you?"  
  
Black had stiffened at the professor's name and looked in shock at Sev, who was staring straight at Dumbledore, also failing at not looking amused. Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Yes, well, Sirius, I scarcely can see how you'd have any objections to Draco teaching. He was very good to you, even if you didn't know it."  
  
"GOOD? He handed me over to Snape for god's sake!"  
  
"And he never laid a finger on you. You escaped the next day. I don't see why you are complaining." Draco said softly. His eyes had gone slightly odd and he kept his head down as he thought over what he had to do to distract Voldemort while Blaise and Sandra had gotten them out of the castle. Sev placed his hand on the back of Draco neck and the blonde looked up at him, smiling.  
  
"Yes, but Dumbledore ..... "  
  
"No, Sirius. I have thought over this long and hard. Draco will make an excellent teacher."  
  
"He hasn't even graduated from school himself! How can he teach?"  
  
"Yes I have."  
  
Sirius looked at him suspiciously. "You graduated? How?"  
  
"It doesn't concern you. And besides, even if I hadn't. I'd still know more about the Dark Arts than you." Draco stood up. "If we are quite finished, I have a lesson to plan for. Good day to you all."  
  
Draco made it to the door before Sirius spoke again. "I intend to be at your trial. It should be interesting to see how you can talk your way out everything while under Veritaserum."  
  
"It's not a trial, it's a hearing." Draco knew full well that many Ministry officials wanted to nail him to the wall for whatever they could find. Sort of like 'Get the remaining Malfoy' and that it was more likely going to be a very public and intensely harsh interrogation rather than a reporting session, but he let it go. "I guess I shall see you there."  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 7  
  
Draco sighed and waved his hand, shutting the door after the last student had left the classroom. Putting his elbows on the desk, he dropped his face into his hands. "Argh, I'm in hell." He'd just spent two hours ignoring the snide comments that were whispered by Harry and Ron, while still trying to conduct a lesson on leprechauns.  
  
Everyone else were on their way to dinner, but Draco couldn't stomach even the idea, let alone the food. He knew he should, he'd seen the increasingly worried looks from Sev. And even a couple from Blaise and Justin. Dumbledore had tried to talk him into at least showing up for the meals, last week, just after the talk he'd had with Sirius. For once, Dumbledore had failed, Draco had waved him off saying he should go bother the first years if he wanted to control anyone's actions.  
  
/I should never have agreed to this job. But at least I get to stay close to Sev. Besides, what else was I going to do? I wish I'd stayed dead./  
  
Draco hadn't yet discovered the contentment he had expected to feel once he didn't have to plan every move he made or calculate the impact of every word he said. He had been doing that for most of his life and now that he didn't have to, he found he was almost at a loss.  
  
Lucius was still on the loose, but that didn't concern him very much at the moment. He was trying to work out what he intended to do when the school year was over. /It would be unheard of to try for a second year as the DADA professor./ He laughed softly and got up off his desk, lighting a cigarette. /Maybe the job is cursed? Maybe I'll end up killing myself or something to get away from it? After all, can't let the reputation die now, can I? Anyway, I don't think I could stand it for a whole year, it's so boring to teach. I'm going out of my skull./  
  
He wandered towards the main entrance, meaning to roam the grounds for awhile to clear his head. He passed Ginny and Colin, in the corridor, who were whispering secretively with each other and waved. They grinned and waved back.  
  
He walked the grounds, not looking where he was going until he came to a stop, just outside of Hagrid's hut. He sat on the porch and after awhile, Fang came out and sat next to him. The bloodhound was looking really bad. Draco placed his hand on Fang's head and closed his eyes.  
  
(Hey there, Fang.) It wasn't the easiest thing in the world to talk to a dog. Draco mostly just had to radiate emotions and show pictures of what he meant, but he found that Fang, unlike other dogs he'd met, was rather good at communicating. /Better than some. Better than Crabbe and Goyle./ He smiled.  
  
(Master.) Fang thought back at him.  
  
(I know, I know. He'll be back soon. I promise to find a way to get him better.)  
  
(Lonely.)  
  
(Shh, shh, I know. He's still in the infirmary. Dumbledore won't let them send him to St Mungos. I'll make him better, I promise. I'll find a way.) He showed a picture of Hagrid opening his eyes.  
  
(Cold.)  
  
Draco checked Fang's bedding and found that it wasn't in the best shape. He quickly summoned up a better blanket from the house-elves storeroom and replaced it.  
  
(Better?) He got a lick and Draco took that as a yes. (You're getting very thin. You should eat more, Fang. Or people will worry.) He sent an image of Fang eating a large meal.  
  
(No food.)  
  
Draco looked at the large bowl of food in the doorway then sent a questioning look to the canine.  
  
(You have plenty of food.)  
  
Fang seemed confused for a second as he tried to think of how to convey what he meant to the nice human. (No want food.)  
  
The boy smiled and gave the dog a hug. (I know the feeling.) He sent the feeling of understanding.  
  
Fang lay down and placed his head in the boy's lap, closing his eyes. Draco gently stroked his head as the two just sat there in silence.  
  
----------  
  
Draco wished Fang a good night and headed over to the Quidditch field, summoning his broom on the way. It was very dark by this time and he guessed it to be somewhere around eleven at night. He'd spent a lot of time sitting with Fang, trying to think of a way to get the information he needed to fix Hagrid and reassuring the dog that the loveable half giant would be back before the next winter.  
  
He wasn't sure if he could keep that promise, but he was definitely going to try.  
  
His Thunderbolt floated beside him obediently as he walked onto the field. He hadn't flown in a long time but he was fairly sure he hadn't forgotten how. He mounted his broom and rose into the air. /I wonder if this counts as leaving Hogwarts' grounds?/ He snickered and just zoomed for awhile trying out some old tricks and then inventing a few. He always felt calmer in the air but it's not like he could just leave all his problems on the ground. No matter how much he wished for that, it didn't work.  
  
He got his broom to level out and slowly drift. He carefully flipped himself around and laid his back down on it staring up at the stars as he hovered slowly from one side of the pitch to the other. The lights in the school helped him keep his bearings and he just watched as the sky rotated above him.  
  
Until something slammed into him so hard, he only just caught his broom with one hand and swung himself back up to sit on it. He glared.  
  
"Why am I not fucking surprised? Ten points off for trying to kill me and another twenty off for not being in your dorm, Mister Potter. Unless Dumbledore has said you may go wandering around when ever you like. Not that you ever seemed to need permission before." His brain told him he was babbling and he told it to shove off.  
  
"No harm in me being here."  
  
"Except that it's against the rules."  
  
"Like you said, I don't care about that."  
  
"That would probably be why you always have to keep evading death."  
  
"I saw you from the common room."  
  
"And you thought you'd turn up to say hi. How lovely of you. Fuck off, I don't want your company."  
  
"Then you'd better leave. I don't see why I should be the one to go."  
  
"Just go away."  
  
The two boys sat staring at each other darkly, and Draco had an amusing flashback to first year when he had Neville's Remembrall. Nothing was said until Draco made a noise of annoyance. "Are you deaf as well as stupid? I said go away."  
  
"Stupid?"  
  
"Most people would consider trying to take me on as stupid." Draco said smugly. He smirked at the look of rage that ignited.  
  
"I'm stronger than I once was." "Yes, and you have me to thank for that. I still have better control than you have though."  
  
"Since when could you fly so well, you could do it on your back?"  
  
"What business is it of yours?"  
  
"How well *can* you fly?"  
  
"Well enough. Now go back to your dorm."  
  
"I've never seen anyone who could do that."  
  
"Yes, but you were raised a muggle. I'm sure many can." Draco knew for a fact that only seventeen people in history had ever been reported to be able to fly like that. And nine of them had died by losing their balance and falling off at one time.  
  
"You must use stabilising magic." Harry said, as if thinking about it.  
  
"Must I?" Draco said dryly, not wanting to let on that he actually didn't have to.  
  
Harry's eyes narrowed in suspicion and Draco sighed. He had a bad feeling over where this was heading.  
  
"If you can fly so well, how come you've never beaten me at Quidditch?"  
  
/Damn. Sometimes I hate being right./ "Why do you think?"  
  
"Don't play word games with me. Why?"  
  
"You always caught the snitch first."  
  
"That's still a fucking word game. Christ Draco, can you just speak simply for once?"  
  
"Oh, so *now* I'm Draco?"  
  
"Shut up. Did you used to let me win?"  
  
Draco hurriedly tried to think of a way to get out of this without lying. "You have such low faith in your self to think that?"  
  
"DON'T FUCKING DO THAT! Did you used to let me win? Yes or no?"  
  
Draco remained silent.  
  
"That first ever game we played together, when the snitch was right above your head? You knew it was there didn't you?"  
  
Draco still kept his mouth shut.  
  
"You could hear it couldn't you?" No response. "COULDN'T YOU?"  
  
"Yes," Draco said softly. "Hell, I could almost smell it. And you took your time noticing it too."  
  
He could feel the Gryffindor get even more furious. Harry spoke through clenched teeth. "Would you like to tell me why the fuck you used to do that?"  
  
"Not particularly, no." Draco kept his voice low and calm, not wanting to set the other boy off.  
  
"Fucking do it anyway."  
  
"It would've looked bad if I could beat the boy who destroyed Voldemort. It also would have made you look a little less wonderful. I knew that one day Voldemort would find a way to come back. People had to believe in you. They had to believe that you were strong. Because when he came back, everyone would have looked to you for help. To finish him off for good this time."  
  
Draco hadn't taken his eyes off the other boy, just in case Harry suddenly lunged for his throat or something. "Also, I felt sorry for you. I wanted you to think you could do something better than me. I liked you. And while it wasn't acceptable for you to like me at the time, I wanted to do something for you."  
  
"So all those years, you let me win?" Harry's voice had dropped to a dangerous level.  
  
"I just didn't try as hard as I could have. Not quite the same as just straight out letting you beat me."  
  
They just looked at each other for a long time before Harry turned his Firebolt around and sped off, back towards the school. Draco had the very distinct impression that war had just been declared. He sighed and waited for a few minutes before heading back himself.  
  
----------  
  
Draco rummaged around inside his large trunk until he found what he was looking for. He dug out the Mirror of Murcisued and sat down on his bed. He opened a small box on his bedside table and took out a single strand of black hair. He undid the clasp to the small compartment at the bottom of the mirror's handle and placed the hair inside, shutting it in securely.  
  
"Show me." He whispered softly and the dark green murkiness of the mirror's glass brightened to show inside the Gryffindor seventh year boy's dormitory. Harry was sitting on his bed scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment.  
  
/Battle plans, no doubt. Never infuriate a Gryffindor. That should be a rule of life./ Draco thought back to when Ron had tipped Centaur's blood all over him after a nasty encounter. The blood had hummed on his skin pleasantly, recognising that he was, in a small way, partly centaur, but had still stained. Dumbledore had told Draco that he shouldn't quickly remove the stain to avoid suspicion.  
  
Firenze had remained mostly silent as Draco explained the whole story. The Centaur had then told him that pink was not his colour and that perhaps he should try blue next time. Draco had laughed at the Centaur's attempt at a joke and told the Centaurion prince to shove off and leave him alone, confusing the Centaur no end to why he was being so rudely dismissed. That had led to a large discussion on 'Human Sayings'.  
  
Breaking himself from his thoughts, Draco picked up a piece of paper himself and commanded the words 'Find out if Centaurs' told of situation. Talk to Firenze anyway. Pay respects to Alaric.' to appear. He returned his attention to the mirror.  
  
Harry had just finished writing whatever it had been and shoved the parchment under his pillow. His bedside light was extinguished and the Gryffindor yanked his shirt off, over his head. Even in the dim lighting the Gryffindor was perfectly visible and Draco had to frown in confusion as he saw that Harry was still wearing the rose pendant.  
  
Harry got into bed and Draco waited until he was sure the black haired boy was asleep. The blonde closed his eyes and searched for the gardens at Snape Manor. In his mind he saw where it was and found what he was looking for. He carefully moved it and he opened his eyes to look at the image again. Harry lay on his bed, chest rising with his breathing and on the pillow next to the one he was using was a beautiful yellow daffodil.  
  
"Vanish." He whispered to the mirror and the image returned to a dark gloominess. He put it back in his trunk and lay down to at least try to get some sleep for himself. /It's really scary, how powerful I've become. Doing that didn't even make me tired./ He shut his eyes and cast a sleeping spell on himself.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 8  
  
"You do realise that you've completely destroyed my shirt don't you? I mean look at it!" Draco got no response other than a guilty look. He continued pacing his dorm room shaking the aforementioned shirt. He held it out to assess the entirety of the damage and then turned again.  
  
"What were you thinking? I only have four shirts that aren't green and silver and this one is completely ruined! I have a class to teach today and now I have to track down a house-elf to get another shirt. I doubt the second years would appreciate me coming to class shirtless." Draco stopped in mid pace and thought for a second. "Well, not *all* of them, anyway."  
  
He looked at his shirt and sighed. "I should never have let you move in! I knew it was a bad idea, I should have gone with my instincts. Where on earth did you find fluorescent purple ink anyway? Students aren't even supposed to own ink that isn't black or red." He paced a little more. "Sev said this was silly, and he was right. I hate it when he's right and I'm wrong." He shook the shirt. "Look at these bite marks! And the drool!"  
  
Fang hopped up on the large bed and lay down, his head between his paws, looking mournful.  
  
"Don't try that look with me. I practically invented that look." He smiled and sat down next to the large beast. "Oh, all right, I'll make you a deal. I: get you a dog toy, You: leave my wardrobe alone." Large, sloppy lick to the face and Draco rolled his eyes, wiping his face dry with the already devastated shirt. "I don't suppose it's not like I can't afford another one anyway."  
  
He held up the key to the Malfoy vault at Gringott's and smiled. He had taken to wearing it on a gold chain around his neck since his recovery. "Lucius really should look after his possessions better. Can you imagine? I found this, just lying on his desk. Oh, all right, it was *in* his desk. Locked up within a safe that had seventeen exceedingly difficult and rather dangerous spells protecting it, but still, he may as well have left it lying on his desk, for all the time it took me to open it."  
  
He eventually just borrowed one of Blaise's black shirts from the next dorm and headed off to class, patting Fang as he left. He walked to class the whole way playing with the shirt. Blaise was much bigger than him and it hung loosely until he gave up trying to arrange it on his body and magically shrunk it to fit properly.  
  
About halfway through his lesson though, Dumbledore came in, looking a little annoyed. "I'm very sorry to disturbed you Draco, but, er, it's time for you to meet with the Ministry."  
  
The class fell completely silent, as rumours about what they were going to do to him had been circulating for weeks now. Draco stopped himself from laughing as one of the more sensitive young girls from his 'fan club', burst into tears. Despite Harry and Ron's best efforts to make everyone realise what an evil arsehole he was, a very large majority of the students all thought he was wonderful.  
  
He had smiled when he'd found out it was mostly due to the fact he was good looking, and not because of his help with the bringing down of Voldemort. /Kids ....... what can you do?/  
  
"Very well. Class, I think we can leave it there today anyway. Read up on the next chapter and write down any questions you might have. I *might* be able to actually find a real vampire to bring in for the next lesson I can attend." He smirked at the squeals of excitement and fear.  
  
He started to follow Dumbledore to the gates.  
  
"Draco? Don't you think they're a little too young to actually *meet* a vampire?"  
  
"Rubbish and besides, it's all in context. They're learning about them."  
  
"They're aren't suppose to until the fourth year."  
  
"Yeah, but we've already covered everything else for the year. I'm only teaching them about the lesser vampires. Not the fully blown powerful ones."  
  
"Already covered everything else?"  
  
"I gave them an exam and everything." Draco shrugged. "They're good kids, they study hard."  
  
"I wonder if that's because you've promised to lend your Thunderbolt for one week, to who ever gets the highest mark at the end of the year? Do you think that's a good idea?"  
  
"If they break it, I'll just buy another one. It really seems to motivate the younger kids. The older kids are easy, I don't have to even think of turning the charm on for most of them."  
  
Dumbledore let that one slide. "Thunderbolts are very expensive."  
  
"Yeah. And I'm very rich. It all evens out in the end."  
  
Dumbledore sighed and they reached the gates where two Dementors stood with Minister Fudge. Draco cast the dampening spell and smirked as he saw the orange metallic bracelets on each of the Dementors' right arms. Every now and then they flashed to show that they were working properly.  
  
"Dumbledore. Mister Malfoy. Shall we?" The Minister said nervously. He still wasn't very comfortable around Draco.  
  
"Sev?" Draco said to Dumbledore.  
  
"Professor Snape is already there." Fudge said in his superior tone. It would have been more effective if he hadn't cringed when Draco looked at him.  
  
"Very well. Let's go." /Let's get this over with./  
  
The small party Apparated to the entrance of the Trial room.  
  
"If you could just wait here Mister Malfoy. There are things we must attend to. You will be called for shortly."  
  
Draco took a seat and the Dementors closed in on him, one standing on either side. Coldness washed over him but he wasn't concerned. The spell that dampened the affect was very powerful so they were next to useless with him. But the whispers of his dredged up memories, did get to him, which was why he liked to talk when Dementors were around. But he always kept his voice calm and his speech slow, not wanting anyone passing to think he was worried.  
  
He summoned a cigarette for himself and mockingly offered one to each of the Dementors. They didn't even turn towards him and he snorted.  
  
"Don't suppose either of you use to work for me, huh?" Draco knew full well that if they did, they wouldn't know it, or be able to communicate it. "Pity, I wanted a coffee." More silence as Draco smoked slowly. "Chatty lot aren't you? Enjoying your new jewellery? I designed them you know?"  
  
Draco had spent every spare moment he had, for months, designing the bracelets that were now used to control and punish them. Dumbledore had warned Fudge that the Dementors would desert the Ministry in favour of following Voldemort, and the headmaster had been right.  
  
So Draco had proposed his idea of the bracelets. Wizards were punished by being put in Azkaban, to be around the Dementors but you couldn't very well do that. Dementors had no affect on others of their kind. The bracelet when worn and activated made for an artificial Patronus, using unicorn blood and dragonheart. Therefore the Dementors were always in a state of discomfort.  
  
You could also use the bracelets to control what they did and where they went. It was a very effective form of punishment which, Draco was happy to see, caused them displeasure.  
  
"I spent forever testing prototypes on the Dementors at the Castle. I hope you appreciate that." He tossed his cigarette on to the floor and ground it out with his boot, lighting up another.  
  
----------  
  
Draco was very bored. And very annoyed. Quite an amazing thing to pull off, being bored and annoyed at the same time. It felt as he was getting pulled one way and then abruptly pushed towards the other.  
  
The Council had requested he give his side of the events of the night that Voldemort fell. He'd started at when Lucius and Pettigrew had brought their captives in. The story must have been something they had heard a hundred times from everyone else. His voice recounted everything automatically. That was why he was bored.  
  
The Gryffindor Trio were in the stands. He couldn't see them but he could feel they were standing near where Dumbledore and Sev sat. Just behind Blaise and Justin. The Trio were probably personally invited by Dumbledore. That was why he was annoyed.  
  
He finally got to the part when he died and stop talking. The Veritaserum had left an awful taste in his mouth and he was rubbing his tongue on his teeth to get rid of it.  
  
"And what did you do to Voldemort, prior to your death?" The officials that were chosen to conduct the 'meeting' hadn't even informed him of who they were but he recognised the one who had spoken as Aldson.  
  
"I used the Orb ..... "  
  
"NO! The others testified to an orange light and then a red light, from you to Tom Riddle."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes, wondering if he should tell them to fuck off and go read a book once in a while. "The orange light was absorbed into his skin. It makes him immune to the Dementor's kiss. I'm sure you've noticed that they can't suck his soul out."  
  
"And why did you take it upon yourself to do that?"  
  
"I wanted him to suffer in Azkaban first. The magic will fail on the day he is set to die. I personally set that day. That's in about four hundred and ninety nine years, if you're interested. I thought it was nowhere near a suitable amount of time for some of the things he's done, but still. Should for some reason civilisation come crashing down before that time is up or anything else comes into the way of the original plan, the magic will automatically fail and the Dementors may have him."  
  
The Council members all shared looks that plainly said 'We have to get something on this one, he's too strong' and Draco restrained the urge to punch them all in the face. /Gutless morons./  
  
"And the red stream of magic?" Fudge finally broke the silence.  
  
"Inside all wizards, witches, squibs and most muggles, lies the capacity to hold magic. It's sort of like a receptacle. If you don't have it, you will never be able to perform magic. That's how you get muggle-borns. The magic lies dormant from generation to generation and then, for some unknown reason, it becomes active. A muggle-born is made."  
  
Draco paused to make sure they were all listening. "Not everyone has one and the human body and soul can survive quite well without it. Just before I died, I destroyed Voldemort's completely. Tom Riddle will never be able to perform magic again. No matter what he tries. I did that as a safety mechanism, just in case he got any ideas of trying to rise up yet again."  
  
There were murmurs all around the room as people discussed this. Fudge banged on his desk for silence. Draco knew that they were annoyed. They certainly couldn't lock him up for removing the threat of Voldemort forever, without resorting to outright killing him. He looked over to where Mister and Mrs Weasley sat and Molly waved enthusiastically.  
  
/If they try to pin anything bad on me, she'll raise hell. Dear, sweet Molly. I'm so glad I got to meet her, I just wish it had been under better circumstances. Then again, she might not have liked me under any normal conditions./ He smiled and waved back.  
  
"Are you paying attention?" Fudge asked, obviously irritated.  
  
"Are you? It's already been explained to you on numerous occasions that I was working as a spy. But I still get the feeling you're just itching to put me away for something."  
  
This was ignored by the Council as they flicked through papers. Aldson sat forward again. "Harry Potter testified to many times when you came to him and gloated about certain events."  
  
"Look, I'll make this real simple for everyone. I have never killed anyone. All the people who were punished for disloyalty were guilty of many crimes. No muggle was ever killed during my reign as Dux Obscura. I reported all important information back as soon as I could. I arranged every single escape from Malfoy Castle and usually I was the one it fell to when we needed to distract Voldemort at the time. I did everything I could for the Order. I barely ate, I barely slept. I almost single-handedly organised the large Auror attack that never came because of the Ministry's ineptitude at keeping things quiet. I worked my arse off restoring Frank Longbottom so that we could get the code from him. And what do I get for all of this? An interrogation and treatment as if I was Voldemort himself."  
  
Draco had kept his voice bland throughout his entire speech and he was very proud of that fact. /All I want is just to punch them for a bit. I hate this shit./ "Even if you do find something to pin on me, what then? Even if it's only something that you might have to fabricate? What are you doing to do? Dementors have very little effect, and you can't possibly hold me. I'm too strong, I'd just get out, at any rate. So, do me a favour, go fuck around with someone else."  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 9  
  
/Well, that seems to have worked rather well./ The Council had fallen silent, each of them shooting looks at the other members. Molly and the Longbottoms had applauded at his statement, along with a few others who he couldn't see too well due to the lights that were mostly shining in his eyes. He had the strong feeling that Sev would have been amused. /I just wish I could see him./ He peered at the general area of where the people from Hogwarts sat. /Bloody Dumbledore. I don't see why the Trio had to be here./  
  
"We, er," Fudge made the first move and Draco had to give him a little credit. "We are well aware that you had assisted in the final fight against him. Be that as it may, we need to get an understanding of the situation leading up to that."  
  
"You're just looking for someone to hang. The Order did all the work and you're starting to realise that the public are giving us all the credit too. The Ministry had it's chance three years ago when Dumbledore confronted you about all this, Fudge. You turned him down. You were the ones who basically stood to one side as the Dementors turned on you. You were the ones who put you hands over your eyes and just wished for it all to go away. Well it didn't. You have to fight for things like that. If you wanted freedom and peace so god damn much, you should have helped."  
  
"The Ministry of Magic allowed the Aurors ....... "  
  
"EVEN IF YOU HADN'T," Draco yelled to be heard over Fudge and then dropped his voice when the Minister had stopped speaking. "The Aurors would have done so anyway. Whether you like it or not, most Aurors believe themselves to work for the public, *not* the Ministry. They would have joined at our side regardless of whether or not you gave them your blessings."  
  
"What was your relationship with Voldemort?"  
  
Draco internally flinched. He had known they would bring this up. "I was his Dux Obscura."  
  
"Do not avoid the question. We need to understand the situation. Several things have been brought to light in the recent interrogations."  
  
"I was the leader of the Death Eaters."  
  
"Was the relationship you had with Voldemort of a sexual nature at times?"  
  
"Surely you would gotten any information like that from him."  
  
"WAS IT?" Fudge rose to his feet.  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes and the Minister quickly sat down again. "Yes, of which you were already well aware." More murmurs around the room and Draco rolled his eyes sullenly.  
  
"During his private interrogation he said all manner of things about you. We shall be allowing you to defend yourself against allegations he has made."  
  
"Giving someone a blowjob is now a criminal offence?" Draco asked dryly. Someone, who sounded suspiciously a lot like Hermione, let out a loud laugh from one of the top balconies.  
  
"He claims you told him you loved him. And that you must have merely turned against him when you believed it to be all over. That you were only trying to save yourself. Is that true?"  
  
"No. And if he thinks that, then he's an idiot. I hardly call having Dumbledore and four children tied up and defenceless as being 'all over'."  
  
"But you did tell him that you loved him?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Bring forward more Veritaserum!"  
  
"I'm an still under the influence of the last dose." /Arrogant prick./  
  
"Bring forward more anyway. We want to make absolutely sure."  
  
The small bottle was brought out and he allowed the drops to be put into his mouth. He swallowed quickly, not liking the scorching sensation it made on his tongue.  
  
"Did you ever tell him that you loved him?"  
  
"No."  
  
The Council looked at each other and turned pages. "We have it written that he claimed you did. He was under Veritaserum at the time. Perhaps *you* have some way of disabling it?"  
  
"I'm sure I could if I tried but there's no need." Draco realised a little too late that wasn't the best thing to say. He mentally kicked himself. /Great, just great. Could you please focus on what's happening and forget that Harry is here listening./  
  
"It would certainly explain many things if you could." Fudge looked overjoyed and Draco sighed.  
  
/Better give them something./ "There were times I led him to believe that I cared for him, but I never actually told him that I loved him." /Well technically one time I did, but that doesn't count./  
  
"He reported that you actually said the words during a compromising moment, just before the events the led to his downfall."  
  
/Bloody Voldemort, trying to drag me down with him? Well he can fucking well think again./ "That time does not count."  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"At the time, I believed him to be someone else."  
  
Fudge's smile widened, obviously thinking he had Draco trapped in some elaborate lie, or mistruth. "And why would you think something that?"  
  
"When I first knew that I was to remain at Malfoy Castle on a permanent basis, I took some things into consideration."  
  
"Please, do go on." Fudge sat back, visibly relaxing as the audience started to mutter amongst themselves again.  
  
"Very well." Draco took a calming breath and thought carefully how to continue. His pride was at stake with this one. /I'll be damned if I'll let Harry beat me on this one. There's no need to keep kicking when someone's down. And no need for me to give him the chance to./  
  
"I was well aware of the fact that Voldemort found me attractive. I also had some vague ideas of what Lucius did while he was playing the part of the Dux. Many months before I knew I was to take his place, I hacked into his mind. I also hacked into Voldemort's. That was not something I had done before as I knew he would probably sense it. He did. But I managed to convince him that I was doing it for his sake."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I was looking for what Voldemort liked to do in the sexual sense." Draco forced himself not to scrunch his face up at the memories of what he had found. "When he felt my presence in his mind I merely told him it was so I could please him when I came into power. Fortunately, he bought it."  
  
"And what has this got to do with you saying you loved him?"  
  
"Have a little patience. You asked for me to explain and I am."  
  
"Proceed." Fudge still had on his arrogant look and Draco willed away the desire to set him on fire. Or turn him into something as disgusting as he already was.  
  
"Realising what would be expected of me, I placed myself under some very powerful spells."  
  
Fudge's smile flickered slightly and he sat forward. "Explain yourself."  
  
"There were more than one."  
  
"Recount them all."  
  
"Firstly, I charmed my skin." Draco paused, knowing it would be annoying.  
  
"Stop with the short sentences and explain your actions in full."  
  
Draco smirked to see that Fudge was certainly getting irritated. "I charmed my skin, so that whenever Voldemort would touch me I would get aroused. It helped with the illusion that I actually gave a damn." He almost spat the last part out. "I charmed my eyes to show another face whenever I was aroused and then I charmed my mind to make myself believe that it was someone else. Therefore anything I may have said when my body was consumed with lust was not directed at Voldemort."  
  
Fudge's smile was gone again. "Who was it directed at?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Draco stalled for time, to work out how to word his reply.  
  
"You claim you saw the face of another while aroused, and that a mind charm made it possible for you to believe that was the person you were really with?"  
  
"Yes, during the actual acts were fine. It was before and after that were sickening enough to make your stomach churn." Some of the spectators laughed softly while the rest winced.  
  
"Whose face did you see?"  
  
"It was a face that I created. It was not the face of anyone that I have actually known." /Thank god I took *something* into consideration when I started this./  
  
"So you claim that when you said you loved him, you meant you loved the face?"  
  
"In my mind, I loved the person who the face belongs to, whoever that may have been. That was who I was saying it to."  
  
"So you're claiming here today that you did not hold such feelings for Voldemort?"  
  
"The only feelings I held for him were disgust and hatred. In the time I spent with him I couldn't even bring myself to like him, despite that fact that he was very fond of me. Or at least he was fond of the person he thought I was."  
  
"And you know this how?"  
  
"I could feel it when he touched me."  
  
Aldson took over from Fudge who looked as mad as hell by now. "Yes, Harry Potter and certain others did say something of you stating to be able to acknowledge emotions whenever people touched you. Why did you never mention this to us before?"  
  
"Would you have believed me?"  
  
"When you first came to us about the idea of putting Lucius Malfoy away for certain things, you were asked to tell us about yourself. Why did you keep this from us?"  
  
"I felt it was not essential. It held no importance to the matters at hand."  
  
"I think we should be the ones to decide what is important or not."  
  
"Well *I* think you just want to study me like I'm some obscene creature. You aren't interested in anything other than cataloguing what I can do. So you feel safer? More prepared to take me on if the need arose? Or maybe to use me whenever you suddenly have some nasty little problem? Is that it? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't work for you, and I never will."  
  
"We are only ..... "  
  
"You're *only* grasping at straws, at the very least. Please do not insult my intelligence by saying this is anything else. I have done nothing you can hold me on, so you may as well desist with the witch-hunting. I've done nothing but help, in whatever way I could."  
  
"And the time you broke in the Gryffindor Tower and tried to slit Harry Potter's throat?"  
  
The audience really went off with that one. Draco shot a glare to where he knew Harry was sitting. "I was *not* trying to slit his throat."  
  
"Really? Then what were you doing?"  
  
"I was going to invoke the Erosian Ritual." Draco smiled as this obviously went right over the officials' heads. But he had sensed that a few over the elder wizards present had tensed up at the name. He could literally feel Dumbledore's shocked gaze.  
  
"And what is that?" Fudge snapped.  
  
"It's a ritual." Draco smiled maliciously.  
  
"What does it do, you infernal brat!"  
  
"There's no need to be so rude." Draco said lazily.  
  
"Answer, before we call the Dementors."  
  
"Be careful, we wouldn't want the world's pride and joy passing out."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Why, didn't you know?" Draco said mockingly. "The precious Harry Potter is in the stands. Right there." He pointed to the dark balcony where the Hogwarts people sat. /Knock me off my broom will we, Honey? I don't think so./  
  
"What would the ritual do?" Fudge was almost back to yelling.  
  
"It would only have kept him safe. It was a complex protection spell. But he woke up and I was distracted. I couldn't complete it. May I go now?"  
  
"We have other matters, such as ..... "  
  
"Such as, your attempt here to try and discredit me with the public may or may not work. I don't know, but I do know that I have broken no laws and instead of trying to imprison me it would be more appropriate if you got down on your knees and licked my shoes."  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"You owe me. You owe me a lot. I'm growing tired of listening to you struggle to find something damning. I shall not be saying anything more." Draco sat down on the concrete floor, giving his legs a rest.  
  
"You will answer our questions."  
  
Draco kept his mouth shut.  
  
"If you will not co-operate, we will have no choice but to detain you."  
  
Still no reply from the blonde.  
  
"We could always turn our investigation on to Professor Snape." Fudge spat viciously.  
  
Draco's eyes flashed with anger and the papers in Fudge's hands, ignited.  
  
The Minister panicked, throwing the burning papers towards the centre of the auditorium and away from himself and his desk. Many spectators laughed and he tried to regain his composure. "We shall discuss these matters in length." The Council rose and walked out as the audience loudly and excitedly discussed everything that had come to pass.  
  
Draco noticed Molly and Arthur Weasley talking hurriedly with one of the Aurors. The other man smiled and opened the gate allowing Molly to come in from the bleachers. She rushed over and crushed Draco in her arms.  
  
Draco smiled, returned the hug and tried to keep up with her 'mile a minute' talking. The lights were turned away from his eyes to light the whole arena. He could now just see the Trio and smirked at the look of annoyance on Ron's face.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 10  
  
"Hello, Tom." Draco said with mock cheer as he walked into the small cell. "How have you been? Enjoying purgatory?" He knew he really shouldn't be doing this, especially since the Veritaserum hadn't worn off yet. He also knew it would probably be his best chance to get to Voldemort.  
  
Riddle snarled as he looked up to see Draco. "What are you doing here? Getting locked up as well." A nasty smile spread across his face.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you but no. Just thought I'd pay a little visit."  
  
"Does Fudge know you're here?"  
  
"It'll just be our little secret for the moment. Enjoying a powerless life? Made any friends with the Dementors? They did used to love you so." Draco's smirk got wider.  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Gee, no thanks. I think I'd rather give Fudge a blowjob. And *that's* saying something." Draco kicked Riddle down the bench slightly, making room and sat down himself. "What have you been up to? Plotting and planning? You may as well give it all up. You'll never perform magic again. So there's no point in bothering."  
  
"Fuck off."  
  
"Now really Tom, is that anyway to speak to me? After everything we've been through? After everything we've shared?" He said in his best sickly sweet voice. /I went through hell and beyond. I'm still in beyond mode. I think I'm owed a bit in return./  
  
"Were you always such a depraved lunatic? Or is this a recent development?" Riddle spat distastefully.  
  
Draco forced a smile. "You tell me. You made me after all."  
  
"I should have broken you."  
  
"I would have loved to see you try. You might have been much more powerful than me, but I was still pretty good. And I know a few tricks that you don't."  
  
"I doubt that."  
  
"Oh really?" An almost crazed smile swept across Draco's face. "Bet your life?"  
  
"Drop fucking dead."  
  
Draco smiled sweetly. "I've already done that."  
  
"Encore." Voldemort growled out.  
  
"I'm sorry. I don't do requests." Draco said slowly. "You'll have to speak to my manager." He looked Riddle over carefully. "Pity, you seem well, physically, in any case.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"Surely you should ask yourself that question. All this," Draco gestured to the room, "All because daddy didn't love you and left you in an orphanage? Yeah well, my father didn't love me, I got over it. You don't see me out to destroy the universe."  
  
"I don't see you doing much of anything? Planning to waste your life, when you could have been a god? You should have stayed with me. You're a fool. Was it worth it? Was it worth everything that you gave up .... "  
  
"What? What the hell could you have offered me?"  
  
"Immortality! Power beyond your dreams! You're a fool to have thrown all that away."  
  
Draco glared. "Power? I *have* power. I already have too much. I never asked for any of this and I had to give up too much to get it as it was. And who the FUCK would want to live forever? Life is all well and good for a short time, but forever? What would I have done with all that time? I get bored on Saturday nights for god's sake. What would I do with an endless Saturday night?"  
  
"We could have ruled the world!"  
  
"News flash asshole! I don't fucking *want* to rule the world." Draco gave a mock shudder. "All that responsibility."  
  
"You're a fool."  
  
"You've said that twice already. And tell me, exactly what would you have done? Okay, fine, you take over the world, then what?"  
  
"I could have made it for who it was meant to be, the wizards. Those disgusting muggles, wandering around, doing nothing to make the world greater. A waste of oxygen, every single one of them."  
  
"I don't think they'd agree."  
  
"To hell with what they think. What do they do? All that results from them is that we have to hide. What kind of a life is that?"  
  
"I've hidden for most of my life, one way or the other, what difference does it make?"  
  
"We should be free to do as we please. Muggles should bow down to us, worship us."  
  
"We're wizards, not gods."  
  
"But we could have been. We could have ruled them all, made the world as it should have been, it was our destiny. But you? You give it all up, and for what? I doubt the Ministry are showering you with gratitude."  
  
"Well, on that one, you're right. The certainly aren't, but at least people don't have to cower in the dark and check over their shoulders at every moment. Some too afraid to leave, some too afraid to stay. Others doing both. Life is a lot more safer with you no longer being a threat."  
  
"Don't be too sure."  
  
Draco smiled. "Oh trust me, that was one thing I was *very* careful about. You're not even a squib, just another muggle. Just like your father."  
  
Riddle glared. "Why are you here?"  
  
Draco's smile disappeared. "I've come to a conclusion. After everything I had to stomach, in order to be the Dux and do my job, everything you put me through." Draco leant over and looked Riddle directly in the eye. "You. Fucking. Owe. Me."  
  
A snort of laughter was his response. He growled, causing Riddle to look concerned. "What's the matter, Tom? Not use to being terrified by the simplest thing? Got so use to being practically immortal you've forgotten fear? Well, too fucking bad, because you really *should* fear me. You ruined my life, before I even had one, and now you're going to do what you can to make it better."  
  
"Am I?" Riddle attempted to sound superior but his voice wavered.  
  
"You can *never* make up to me what you did, but you can help with some things."  
  
"And if I don't want to help?"  
  
Draco gave a short, cruel laugh. "And you got the impression that you had a choice, from where exactly? Certainly not from me. Just hold still, this will only hurt for an eternity."  
  
Draco stretched his hands out towards Riddle, who leapt away from him. "Keep your hands off me." Fear was definitely laced in that voice.  
  
Draco scowled, snarling softly and the bench on either side of his body ignited into violent flames. "Oh. So NOW you fucking well don't want to touch me? Brilliant fucking timing, I must say. Couldn't you have decided that one, months ago? Well too bad. You wanted me? YOU GOT ME! And everything that comes with me."  
  
Draco had stood up and closed in on Riddle as he spoke and now he slammed his hands to the sides of Riddle's head. The elder wizard's eyes flew open to full width and he screamed as Draco's hands glowed a murky purple colour. Unluckily for Riddle he didn't even have a chance to breathe so he passed out from lack of oxygen.  
  
Draco threw the elder wizard into the back wall and smiled spitefully while forcing the other man to regain consciousness. "It's been lovely chatting to you, but I have to go. I shouldn't think I'll ever need to see you again so this will be our last meeting. How sad." His voice grated out. "Goodbye. Enjoy eternal suffering."  
  
Draco got to the doorway. "Oh, by the way, whatever memories haunt you when the Dementors close in, god how I hope that some have to do with me." He walked out and reset the containment spell that was across Riddle's doorway.  
  
He could hear Riddle calling for the Minister before he'd even left the corridor.  
  
----------  
  
He finally spotted Sev in the large milling of people and hurried up, pushing his way through rudely, his hand searching for the other's larger one when he finally reached his target.  
  
Sev looked around at the touch and smiled. "Where have you been?"  
  
The large Veritaserum dose was still affecting him, so he knew he had to be careful. "I had to go talk to someone." Draco tried to ignore the fact that everyone was staring at him but it wasn't easy. He pressed closer to Sev as Dumbledore walked up with the Hogwarts' students.  
  
"Ah, Draco, there you are. We've been looking for you."  
  
"Dumbledore." Draco said in cold greeting, giving a nod. He gestured to the Gryffindor Trio. "And they are here because .......... ?"  
  
"Oh, they wished to see the proceedings, I saw no harm in them being here." Dumbledore replied cheerfully.  
  
"Kindly ask them to mind their own business next time." Draco frowned slightly at Harry, who returned the look at full force. "I believe I already spoke to you about that, Dumbledore? Only Blaise and Justin were to come, if they desired to."  
  
"Well, yes, but like I said, where is the harm?"  
  
"I will happily show you the harm when we return to Hogwarts, if you wish." Draco flexed his hand meaningfully at Dumbledore.  
  
The headmaster's cheer dissipated quickly. "There's no need for such threats. I was only ...."  
  
"Interfering! What a surprise. I've already told you Dumbledore, I have a small amount of respect for you, but I don't like you. I never will, so *don't* push it. Sev, I want to go."  
  
"We still haven't heard the verdict."  
  
"I already know what it will be." Draco shifted uncomfortably. "They're going to recommend I remain at Hogwarts until further investigations are completed."  
  
"You don't know if that's what they'll do." Dumbledore waved his hand in dismissal of the idea.  
  
"Oh yes I do. Just watch. They're going to try and find *something* they can get on me. But they won't. I was too careful, they won't uncover a thing."  
  
"Pity." Harry muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Ron nodded in agreement while Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco ignored the two Gryffindor boys.  
  
Blaise wrapped his arm around Draco's shoulders. "Let's just stick around for a bit, we may as well hear what they have to say."  
  
Draco sighed and forced a smile for his friends' sakes. "Very well."  
  
Draco looked up as his hand was tugged. Sev handed over a letter which he read quietly.  
  
~  
  
D  
  
Having some slight problems with my brazen ward. Please make other arrangements with Dumbledore. Would be much easier to care for at Hogwarts. We will be arriving in one week, on Tuesday.  
  
Good luck with the Ministry. They're all conceited, incompetent dickheads anyway. Want me to hurt them?  
  
L  
  
~  
  
Draco smirked and handed the letter over to Dumbledore, for him to read. The headmaster sighed. "It wouldn't be the best idea. There's no-one to look after her while you're at your lessons."  
  
"Who?" Harry asked trying to read the letter.  
  
Dumbledore folded it up and passed it back to Draco. "What would she do while you were busy?"  
  
"Who?" Harry and Ron said together.  
  
"Have a little faith Dumbledore. I have a feeling that will sort itself out in a day or two. I have the perfect minder, practically lined up. He'll look after her just fine."  
  
"Who?" All three Gryffindors students chorused.  
  
Draco shot them an annoyed look. "Is that all you can say? Mind your own business, for once." He turned and tugged on Sev's hand. "I'm going for a cigarette, could you send a reply back?"  
  
Sev glared at the word cigarette. "Very well. I myself am looking forward to seeing her again. It's been at least three years. Will she remember me?"  
  
"Who?" This time Blaise had joined in with the Gryffindors.  
  
Draco was already pulling out his smokes and he looked up with a grin. "Oh, I don't think she'll ever forget that day when you set your hand on fire." He said playfully.  
  
Sev shifted slightly. "Yes ....... well ....... You'll probably still have to re-introduce me to her. Or she'll be wary."  
  
"Who?" The Trio and Blaise looked at Justin, who hadn't joined in.  
  
"What?" He asked defensively. "They obviously aren't going to tell us. There's no need for me to join in."  
  
Draco walked off shaking his head in mild amusement. He wandered into an unused room and summoned up a chair, hoping that no-one had been sitting on it in the next room. /I really should check before I do that./ He collapsed into it and enjoyed the tranquillity that the crowed cafeteria hadn't offered. /I'd completely forgotten about Remus. I really need to sit down and write out a plan for the rest of the school year./  
  
He sighed, recognising that even though Voldemort had gone, not much had changed in how he made his way through life. /Still planning, still faking, still acting. I thought I'd promised myself that I wouldn't do that when it was all over? Then again, I don't have much choice now, do I? Bloody Harry./  
  
He sighed as he heard the door open softly. /Gee, who could that be, I wonder?/ "What now, Mister Potter?"  
  
"They might find something, you know?"  
  
"I doubt it, I was too careful. They won't find a thing, I'm too good at this."  
  
"So there is something, they just have to look for it?"  
  
"No. There isn't anything they could charge me with." Draco turned his head to look at the Gryffindor. "I never broke any laws. I won't, or more to the point can't, lie and say that I didn't bend any, but I never broke any. I know how to play this game." He looked away to stare at the wall. "I've been playing it most of my life."  
  
"I'll be honest. I don't want them to find anything to charge you with."  
  
Draco looked back. "But?"  
  
"But I still don't like having to be around you."  
  
"Then why do you keep hunting me out? Can't you just say that you'll stay away, and then actually do it?" /Why do you keep doing this to me? Annoying brat./  
  
"I just keep getting too many questions."  
  
"Ah, you and your questions. Always wanting to know every tiny thing. Can't you just be happy thing the big questions answered?" He dropped his smoke to the floor and extinguished with his boot.  
  
A loud noise came from beyond the door and Draco stood. "Well, if you'll excuse me, that's my cue to return to the Council."  
  
He walked past and Harry got out of his way before they could touch.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 11  
  
The seventh year boy's room in the Slytherin dorms was peaceful. The house- elves had arranged everything and tidied up in preparation for it's one human occupant to return from the Ministry. Dobby had been very specific on how everything had to be. Even Fang's bed had been cleaned and readied, despite the fact that the canine usually wandered the halls or the grounds during the day.  
  
Fang was normally out, and Blaise had taken the sixth year dorms, where he usually got a visitor. So truly, the whole room could be considered as belonging solely to Draco.  
  
Draco's door flew open and smashed into the wall violently, causing it to crack in the middle and dent the wall quite well. Then the wood of the door caught fire, as did the carpet and some of the bed sheets. Draco himself walked through the doorway a short time after that, being followed by an anxious Blaise and a concerned Justin.  
  
"It'll be okay." Said the concerned Justin while stamping out some of the carpet fire and then brushing the smouldering flakes off his shirt, left over from when Draco had been struggling to make sure he didn't set his friends on fire as well.  
  
"Yeah. They can't do it forever." Blaise joined in. "Besides, I thought you were expecting this?"  
  
"That doesn't mean I have to like it! Trapped! In Hogwarts! Indefinitely! Just what I always fucking wanted. I wonder how they knew?" Draco spat sarcastically as he collapsed on to his bed and waved his hand, putting out all the flames that had sprung up. Justin's shirt was still smoking a little.  
  
"At least you'll be close to Snape." Blaise tentatively sat down next to him and let Justin crawl into his lap. "Besides, you've been here since you woke up anyway."  
  
"Blay, there is a *huge* difference in staying here and knowing that you're not allowed to leave. They could drag their 'further investigations' on for years! Imagine that? Untold years being here stuck here and having to listening to Dumbledore whining that I should eat more."  
  
"Well you should. Eat more, that is." Justin said hotly as he dragged his ruined shirt off and threw it to the floor. "And besides, you said yourself that it was stupid of them to do a blood work analysis to determine whether or not you had tampered with the Veritaserum. That should be some comfort."  
  
Draco smiled, remembering how angry Fudge had looked when the test came back confirming he hadn't done anything to interfere with it. Many of the spectators had visibly relaxed. The Council had seen that their plan to at least discredit him in the eyes of the public had backfired and made many of them, actually warm towards him.  
  
Molly had been absolutely thrilled and it had been pretty much almost impossible to stop her laughter at the expressions of gloom on the Council member's faces.  
  
"Idiots. Do they actually think anyone would have done that, knowing full well there were checks that could be carried out? You would have to be a fool to do something like that."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"You're a fool."  
  
~~~~~  
  
/Yes, I most certainly am, but not for the reasons you gave, arsehole. Hope you burn Voldemort, I just hope you burn./ Draco sighed tiredly and rubbed his face. He looked up when he felt someone touching him. Justin was stroking his arm. He felt fear and concern lacing his skin where the hand went. "I'm fine, thanks. Stop fussing over me, I'm not a child."  
  
Justin shook his head slightly. "We're worried about you."  
  
"Well don't be."  
  
"No, I think we should. You've been so, ..... different lately. Ever since you woke up .... "  
  
"I haven't done anything."  
  
"Exactly." Blaise said with conviction. "You don't do a lot of things that you should. For example, you don't eat. You don't sleep unless you forced yourself. You're so thin and even paler than you should be. How long are you going to keep this up? How long *can* you keep this up? You must be running low on stubbornness. Just face it, you really need to talk to him."  
  
Draco sat up a little straighter and lifted his head. "No, I certainly don't need to do anything of the sort."  
  
"Don't try and pull that snob act with us. It won't work." Justin said gently. "Now, I haven't known you very well for as long as Blaise has, but I can see that it's killing you on the inside. Maybe if you just tried to reason with him? You already know that he loved you once. Maybe if you just told him that ....... "  
  
"NO!" Draco closed his eyes and took a breath. "Look, he was right, it's better this way."  
  
"How is it better if you walk around being so god damn miserable?" Blaise said angrily.  
  
"It just is. NO!" Draco held his hand up to stop the protests. "He was right, this is how it has to be. I just have to get used to it, that's all."  
  
Blaise nudged Justin, making him stand up and followed suit. "It's funny, I've thought you a lot of things in the past at one time or another, but the word 'coward' never came to mind." He started to drag his boyfriend out of the room. "I've never known you to give up so easily." He spat angrily, closing the door after them.  
  
The blonde sighed sadly, knowing they'd come back the next day and apologise. /They're just trying to anger me into proving them wrong. Well I can't. Believe me, giving up wasn't the easy option./ Draco lay back down on his bed and stared at the canopy. /Hardest thing I've ever had to do./  
  
He summoned the Mirror of Murcisued and flicked it on. It showed Harry sitting with Ron and grinning about something. He smiled softly as his fingers traced the outline of the Gryffindor's face.  
  
/Hope is over-rated anyway./  
  
----------  
  
"You're not happy, Draco." Sev said gently as he walked up to the desk.  
  
Draco frowned in annoyance. "I do wish people would stop stating the blindingly obvious. It gets very tiring after awhile."  
  
"You know I hate to see you like this, and I wish you would talk to me about it."  
  
"I'm getting along aren't I? Isn't that enough?"  
  
"Not really, no." Sev got a chair and moved it so he could sit at Draco's desk as well. "You know he still loves you."  
  
Draco looked up, his face showing exactly how tired and sad he was for once. "Do I? I mean, I know he used to." He looked back to the papers he was marking. "But people change." He smiled sadly. "God, he used to love me so much, and now he can barely look at me. I did that." He took a deep breath. "I hurt him so much."  
  
"You didn't have a choice."  
  
"Yeah, maybe not then. But I could have stayed away from him. I could have made it so he still disliked me, when I had to leave."  
  
"Why didn't you?"  
  
He frowned again. "You know why."  
  
"Refresh my memory."  
  
"I'd rather I didn't. I'm trying to forget."  
  
"Forgetting about it won't happen, and even if it would, you probably shouldn't try."  
  
"Just drop it Sev, I'm not in the mood." He rubbed his eyes tiredly.  
  
"Very well, can we discuss something else?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "If you wish."  
  
"What are these?" Sev took two small, black boxes out of his pocket. They looked a lot like Muggle Jewellery boxes that you got from fancy stores.  
  
Draco stiffened at the sight of them. "Why do you have them?"  
  
"I went through the stuff you left behind while you were away. I was missing you. And then I came across these."  
  
"If I recall correctly, I locked them up securely."  
  
"Yes, but if *I* recall correctly, you usually always set the spells so that they wouldn't affect me. You sometimes did that without realising."  
  
Draco sighed, knowing that was probably what had happened. "I'd almost completely forgotten about them. I made them when I was ten." He stretched his hand out for them and Sev obligingly passed them over. Draco opened both and set them on the desk into front of himself.  
  
A ring sat in each box and the glinted up at him cheerfully. He smiled softly. "I didn't even know why I was making them. I never thought I'd fall in love. I thought love was for people who deserved it." He smiled grimly. "I didn't think that I did."  
  
Each ring had a large, round ruby as it's centre with a ring of emerald circling it. The band was made out of gold and silver that intertwined all the way around. He picked up the one that was meant for him to wear and looked hard into the jewels.  
  
The image of a lion's head turned to look at him from the ruby and the snake that was in the emerald shifted a little, as if awakening. The snake slid around the ring of emerald in a protective manner, showing it was guarding the lion.  
  
"I didn't even understand the meaning of that at the time." Draco said softly.  
  
He tilted the ring so he could read the inscription on the inside of the band. The word 'Harry' was engraved into the combined silver and gold. He smiled a little harder, remembering the first time he'd seen that there.  
  
"You'd never told me of them before?" Sev said quietly.  
  
Draco looked up, startled. He'd forgotten he wasn't alone. /Jesus fucking age Christ, Draco, get a grip./ "It wasn't important. I made them before I came to Hogwarts. I'd read of them in one of Lucius' books. They are meant to show you things. Things that sometimes you wouldn't have recognised."  
  
"Did you make them to show your protection of Harry?"  
  
Draco shook his head slowly. "No. Well, if I did, I didn't know it at the time. The rings never used to have the lion or the snake. I didn't do that." He placed it back in the box gently and closed it up.  
  
"What do you mean? You didn't do what? You didn't put the images there?"  
  
"No, I didn't put them there but that's not what I meant. The names were what shocked me. I didn't write Harry's name there. One day it was ........ just *there*. I used to look at them every week and I just noticed that his name appeared on the band." Draco shrugged, trying to show he didn't understand much of it either. "And mine was on the other one. I stopped always looking at them after that. It scared me a little."  
  
"So the ring was telling you it belonged to him?"  
  
Draco smiled and looked up. "No." He held it up and then stared at it in confusion. /I could have sworn I put it away./ He looked at the box which was now open again. /I really should pay more attention. I need some sleep./  
  
"So the ring doesn't belong to him?" Sev frowned in confusion. "Then why is his name there?"  
  
Draco slipped the ring on to the ring finger on his right hand. "This is the ring I'm suppose to wear. The one that says 'Harry'. It doesn't say that because it's supposed to be given to him. The ring was trying to tell me that *I* belonged to him."  
  
They sat in silence as Draco looked at it, glittering on his finger, next to the one Sev had given him. /And I do belong to him. I guess I always have in a manner of speaking. But things are different now. Very different. And even though I don't like it, there's only one thing I have to do now. I have to stay away from him./  
  
He adjusted the ring so that it was straight and closed the box, leaving it on.  
  
/After all, that's the only way I can protect him, now. I have to protect him from me./  
  
To Be Continued. 


	2. Parts 13 to 23

Disclaimer: They ain't mine, which is why I'm poor and Harry's a virgin.  
  
  
  
Golden Daffodils  
  
--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud.  
  
Part 12  
  
Fang whined sadly as Draco got ready to leave. It was well past midnight and the blonde had finally obtained the last ingredient he needed. Well he'd had it all the time, he just hadn't been able to give it up just yet. It was very likely it would be destroyed in the process of what he was going to do. He carefully placed the one strand of Harry's black hair into a small container, looking at it for a little while and turned to the dejected looking canine.  
  
He placed his hand on the dog's head and closed his eyes.  
  
(I have to go.) He whispered into Fang's mind.  
  
(Lonely.) Fang thought back.  
  
Draco sent a reassuring feeling to him. (It's important. I have to help Hagrid.)  
  
(Master?)  
  
(Yes, I'm getting him back for you. I know how to, now.)  
  
(Happy.)  
  
Draco smiled softly. (I gave you my word that I would. I always keep it, if it's true.)  
  
(Come?)  
  
(No. You stay here. I'll take you to see him as soon as he's allowed visitors. He's going to be very weak.)  
  
(Wait.)  
  
(Yes, you wait here.)  
  
(Friend.)  
  
(Yes, I'm helping your friend.)  
  
(No. You friend.) Fang nudged Draco's knee with his large head and the blonde smiled.  
  
(Yes, we're friends.)  
  
Fang licked his hand as he removed it.  
  
"You're welcome." Draco said softly, while opening the door. "Be good."  
  
Draco left and walked up to and through the common room quietly. He hadn't bothered to make himself invisible as he knew that no-one was walking around. Not even Filch, who was usually wandering around with Mrs Norris trying to catch the students out.  
  
Ever since Voldemort had fallen, all the staff, even Sev, had eased off on the children a little, as a way to celebrate such good times. Of course, you couldn't actually tell that Sev, in particular, had eased off at all, unless you looked really, really hard.  
  
Draco had been too tired the night before, to concentrate as well as he knew he would have to for what he was about to attempt. The incident at the Ministry had annoyed him into a frenzy that not even the conversation with Sev had helped to calm him down any. He'd spent most of the night playing with the new ring on his hand. Thinking about Harry. He'd sent another flower to the Gryffindor's bed. That made it four in all. Five if you counted the rose pendant he had given Harry in the sixth year.  
  
He desperately tried to get his mind off that topic. /Get over it, Draco. It's not like you'll die without him./ He wasn't very convincing. /I really do need to get some sleep one day. But I hate my dreams. They're either really good, and tormenting me with what I can't have, or really bad, making me feel intensely sick./  
  
"Bloody Voldemort." He muttered out loud, causing one of the portraits to stir a little. "This is all his fucking fault." /I really should start taking responsibility for my actions. No, to hell with that! I'll stick to blaming the arsehole./  
  
He silently walked into the infirmary and looked around, checking that Pomfrey hadn't gotten up since he'd done his scan of the castle. But everything was still peaceful and the paintings were all at rest.  
  
He made his way to the first private room that was located near the back of the large ward and slipped inside. He looked at the still form of Hagrid. /Looks almost dead. I wonder if that's how I looked?/ He walked over and sat down in the chair next to him.  
  
/The last time I came here was with Harry. When he was celebrating Hagrid's birthday./  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Shh, Dray. They'll kick us out if we're noisy." Harry hissed.  
  
"Sorry, Honey. It's not like I *meant* to kick the cabinet."  
  
Harry sat in the chair next to the bed as Draco hovered nearby.  
  
"Happy birthday, Hagrid. Look, I made you a cake. Well, I had Dobby help, but I'm sure it's fine. Oh, and we did a nice spring cleaning session on your hut, it's all neat and tidy now, you wouldn't recognise it." Harry said, smilingly sadly.  
  
The still form hadn't made any response."  
  
"Dray? Do you think they'll work out how to break it? Make him better?"  
  
Draco smiled and brushed some of Harry's hair out of his face. "I'm sure they will, Honey. They just need some time." Draco looked down at the couple strands of hair that had come loose in his hand and stuck to his fingers.  
  
He carefully put them in his pocket with Harry noticing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Draco shook himself out of his memories and focused on the task at hand. He placed the strand of hair on to the half giant's forehead and placed his hand over it. He closed his eyes and carefully redirected the pain that he knew would still be waiting.  
  
He lifted the coma curse he had placed on the half giant and the pain smashed into his body with enough force to make him slip from the chair. He righted himself and ignored the agony, concentrating hard, now that he finally knew what to look for.  
  
Curses that were put on the mind were very dangerous and unstable. To mess around with one without knowing what you were doing, usually ended in damaging the mind, one way or the other. That was the reason why Draco had to wait until he had scanned Voldemort's mind.  
  
Luckily, the fallen dark wizard had not only known how to put it on, but also how to end it.  
  
Draco finally found the small flashing beacon of implanted magic he was looking for and, using the fear and concern that had been infused into Harry's hair at the time, deactivated it.  
  
He slumped forward as the pain left and Hagrid opened his eyes. When he removed his hand, the hair was gone. Undoubtedly, it had been absorbed in to Hagrid's system, as part of the spell.  
  
/There goes the last bit of Harry, that I had. I could ask Dobby to get some more for me? It might not be easy though./  
  
"Mal ...... Malfoy?" The half giant whispered shakily. He swallowed and Draco poured him a glass of water, levitating it from the next room to Hagrid's side. The large man drank gratefully. "What?"  
  
Draco smiled warmly at the man. "Shh, you need to sleep, you're very weak. You've been cursed for a very long time. Your body needs time and rest to recover properly. I'll leave you be." Draco got up to leave.  
  
"Don't ........ don't go." Hagrid was obviously disoriented and confused. "Cold. So cold." Draco summoned a blanket and placed it over him. "Just don't go."  
  
Draco weighed the odds. "All right, I won't. I'll be just over here. You get some sleep." He waved his hand and the grounds keeper obligingly closed his eyes and slept.  
  
Draco moved his chair into the shadows and waited.  
  
----------  
  
Naturally, the next morning was a very busy and excited one. Pomfrey came in to do a quick check, purely out of habit and dropped her breakfast tray Hagrid turned his head to look at her, saying 'Hello' in greeting. So naturally, Dumbledore was summoned, then the Trio turned up, uninvited but still welcome once they were there.  
  
Draco watched, invisible, from the corner. Not even Dumbledore would have been able to see him unless Draco had wanted him to.  
  
Sev came in due course to give the newly awakened man an energy potion, which Hagrid drank down as Sev stared directly at where Draco stood. Draco pulled a face and smiled when Sev must have somehow sensed it, because the teacher turned back to look at the recovering half giant.  
  
"My dear Hagrid!" Dumbledore said delightedly. He had taken Pomfrey's advice and at least waited until the energy potion, before asking Hagrid any questions. So now everyone was dying of curiosity. Except Sev. "How are you? Can you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore continued on.  
  
The large man cleared his throat. "Mal ...... Malfoy woke me up."  
  
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Draco? Did he indeed? How interesting."  
  
Draco squashed the urge to throw something at the headmaster. /Insufferable prat. I hate that expression. It means there's a 'talk' coming on./  
  
"But tell me, my dear boy, what happened? We found you lying on the ground after a nasty run in with a Death Eater."  
  
"Ya, an' I'm right glad the little uns got away all right. I just remember that the filthy wretch, who ever he was, shouted summat at me an' then there was all this pain. It was horrible. There was someone yellin' at the scum. Lots of blue light, then it was all quiet like. An' then there was this angel, standin' over me. Could only jus' hear what it said, the pain was so bad. It said every thing would be jus' fine and that he'd fix it all. Then the pain stopped and I woke up here, with the Malfoy boy holdin' my head."  
  
"Draco healed you?" Harry said incredulously. "He woke you up?"  
  
"I reckon he must've, if you say I was asleep for so long."  
  
"Hagrid?" Harry leant forwards. "This angel that made the pain go away? What did it look like?"  
  
/Take a fucking guess, Honey. Who else would be stupid enough to attempt what I just did? Oh, Christ, my Gryffindor side shows through again./  
  
"It was all shiny an' the like. All glowing an' shiny."  
  
"Draco." Harry muttered. "Draco was the one who knocked you unconscious? But why?"  
  
"No, it was this shiny angel, I tell yeh. He's the un that did that. To stop the pain."  
  
Harry shook his head. "It wasn't an angel, that was Draco. He, er, has this habit of glowing every now and then."  
  
"He does?" Hagrid asked warily. "Don' think I like the idea of kids glowing, meself, but if it was him, then I should thank him." Hagrid looked around. "Where is he? He sat with me through the night."  
  
Every one looked around except for Sev, who knew exactly where Draco was standing.  
  
"Draco?" Dumbledore said to the room. "Are you here?"  
  
Draco quietly walked to stand right in front of the head master and then made himself visible. The headmaster jumped in surprise.  
  
"Yes. I'm here."  
  
Dumbledore regained his composure. "Did you wake up Hagrid?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And how did you know how to do it?"  
  
"I scanned Riddle's mind for the information."  
  
Dumbledore was clearly shocked. "Did you, indeed? When was this, might I ask?"  
  
"After I gave my statement to the Council. I went to his cell, scanned his mind and found what I needed to know. Then I may have arranged it so that he has an eternal headache, but that's not the issue, right now." He smiled at Dumbledore's surprise. "Now, I have a class to prepare for. I'm glad you're better Hagrid. Good day."  
  
Draco walked out and Sev followed quietly as the rest stared at them in surprise.  
  
----------  
  
"Malfoy? Er, Draco, I mean." Hagrid said nervously. "I've had a little chat with Dumbledore, an' he told me about you, an' the things yeh done."  
  
"Hello, Hagrid, I'm glad you're here. I have someone who wants to see you."  
  
"Eh? Yeh do?"  
  
Draco gave a piercing whistle and waited. Hagrid looked around in confusion and then his face broke into a delighted smile as rounded the corner of the hut and galloped up. He leapt and it was only through sheer luck that Hagrid managed to stay upright as the vast hound landed on his chest.  
  
Draco smiled as the two got reacquainted with each other and then his face darkened. "I'm sorry I had to put you in a coma. It was the only way I knew how to make the pain go away. I'm also sorry, it took me so long to find out how to fix you. It wouldn't have been safe for me to scan him while he was still in power."  
  
Hagrid looked over and placed one of his huge hands on Draco's shoulder. "That's all right. I know yeh did yeh best. And I'm grateful for all of it."  
  
Draco smiled. "Shall we take Fang for a walk?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
The two started to walk as Fang ran around them both, in a state of ecstasy.  
  
"Now, Hagrid. There's a small favour I wanted ask of you."  
  
"Anything, Draco, just yeh name it."  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 13  
  
"Yeh sure 'bout this Draco? It's jus', well I ain't never done this before." Hagrid toyed with his coat nervously. "What if I mess it up real bad?"  
  
"Hagrid, trust me, you'll be just fine. Stop worrying and just relax. You'll be great."  
  
"That's what I thought 'bout Norbert."  
  
"This is slightly different to raising a dragon in a hut." Draco said playfully. "Stop fidgeting."  
  
"Er, I could change? If yeh thought I needed to?"  
  
"Hagrid." Draco said firmly. "I hardly see how it matters about what you are wearing. Just relax and this will go smoothly." Draco took another look. "Well, maybe you should take off the tie. It's a little ...... gaudy. She might not like it."  
  
Hagrid quickly yanked off the dirty, yellow and red tie and stuffed it into one of his coat pockets, before tossing the coat on to the porch of his hut.  
  
"Hello, Hagrid." Harry said, as the Trio walked up to where Hagrid, Draco and Sev stood. Ron and Harry ignored Draco's presence completely while Hermione rolled her eyes and gave him a smile wave.  
  
He smiled back. "Hello Hermione, you're just in time."  
  
"For what?" Hermione titled her head slightly, taking a quick glance around.  
  
Draco looked past the bushy hairdo and sighed. /Just what I fucking need./ "Why is *he* here?" He said rudely as Dumbledore and Sirius arrived.  
  
"Why, Sirius is only here to see his old friend." The headmaster said brightly.  
  
"I was talking about you, Dumbledore." Draco said as he brushed a leaf off of Sev's shoulder. "I'm still not happy with you."  
  
"Will you ever be?"  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes. "I don't know. You have a lot to make up for in my books."  
  
"They just wished to see the trial. I saw no harm."  
  
"I'm not talking about that." Draco's voice had dropped to a very cold level and Sev frowned at him in confusion. "There are a couple of matters I'll have to discuss with you one of these days, Dumbledore. But not today. Today is too good to ruin."  
  
"Matters? I have no idea what you're talking about.  
  
"Sure you do. You're just not thinking hard enough."  
  
"But I assure you ...... " Dumbledore was cut off.  
  
"Finally!" Draco watched impatiently as Blaise and Justin rushed up. "Where have you two been?"  
  
"Sorry ....... we were ....... in the ...... library." Blaise panted out.  
  
"Yeah? Well, I've got twenty Galleons that say neither of you were studying." Draco smiled as they both blushed.  
  
"Draco? Why *is* everyone convening here?" Hermione said looking around as if there was something she had missed the first fifty times she'd looked around. "Is there something going on?"  
  
"You could say that." Was the only response Draco offered. Now that everyone was there, he hadn't taken his eyes off of the lower western sky. He eyes went from one side to the other, relentlessly as he searched.  
  
"What's going on?" Harry actually addressed Draco this time but the blonde was too busy stretching his scanning ability to the utmost to hear him.  
  
Draco's head moved quickly to just slightly left of straight ahead and he smiled. "There." He pointed to where he was looking. "In just a few moments."  
  
A minute later and the sky was still clear but Draco's smile hadn't faltered. Eventually a small speck appeared, just above the horizon. It slowly got bigger, at a crawling rate.  
  
Hermione squinted, trying to see better. "It's a winged horse!"  
  
"Close, but not quite." Draco murmured.  
  
It was passing over the forest now and was much easier to see.  
  
"Draco, I don't know what you learnt growing up, but a horse with wings is a winged horse." Hermione said, insulted that he had said she was wrong.  
  
"I learnt some of the most horrifying lessons you'll never encounter, when I was growing up. But that is *not* a winged horse."  
  
Whatever it was, was coming in to land. Remus Lupin was sitting on it's back and the enormous gold and silver creature slammed into the ground without a hitch. Remus hopped off it as Draco rushed over and threw his arms around the large beast's long slender neck. Which meant he had to hang with his feet two feet off the ground. He dropped back down and let Remus give him a quick hug.  
  
"Sorry we're late. Slight hitch going over London." Remus smiled and joined the rest of the group as the animal bowed it's head and allowed Draco to whisper into it's ear.  
  
"Severus." Remus said amiably, extending his hand.  
  
Sev shook it and gave a nod. "Remus, good to see you made it in one piece. I would hate for you to be able to mange to hurt Draco's friend."  
  
"I doubt Selena would ever let me. Intelligent creature."  
  
"Indeed she is. I hope you weren't too intimidated."  
  
Remus recognised the humour behind the words and smiled before turning to his childhood friend and giving him a hug. Sirius was looking rather bewildered.  
  
"Selena?" Hermione asked, almost bursting with curiosity.  
  
"Draco's unicorn." Blaise, Justin and Harry said at the same time. Surprised, the two boys looked at Harry, who only shrugged and pushed at his glasses.  
  
"But that's not a unicorn." Ron scoffed. "It doesn't have a horn."  
  
"No, Mister Weasley, she doesn't." Sev said as he took a slight step forward, not taking his eyes off the creature. "But she does has a substantial sunken scar where she should."  
  
The beast did indeed have a large indentation on her head, right where a unicorn's horn should be. It seemed even larger than the horses who had pulled Madame Maxime's carriage. And it's colour shimmered. From one way the hair looked gold, but from another it looked silver, making the whole of her look both in places.  
  
"Oh." Ron frowned for a second. "I've never heard of a winged unicorn before."  
  
Hermione took a step forward, completely enraptured. "That would be because they were supposed to have become extinct, four hundred years ago." She took another step, taking her closer to the beast than Sev was. The large beast tossed her head and neighed loudly. Hermione scooted back.  
  
"Er, sorry Hermione. But she doesn't know you, yet. Come on, Sev." Draco motioned for Sev to come over.  
  
He took a tentative step. Selena snorted softly and made an odd whining noise.  
  
"She remembers you, come on." Draco said softly.  
  
Sev, absolutely confident in Draco's abilities to heal wounds, if not in reading an unpredictable, moody animal, walked up and ran his hand down her neck. She nuzzled him, nearly knocking him off balance.  
  
"Guess she *does* remember your hand being on fire." Draco smiled impishly.  
  
"Oh, do be quiet, Draco."  
  
"Okay, now hold her ear."  
  
"Must I? I really don't like doing this."  
  
"Grow a spine, Sev." Draco motioned for Hagrid to slowly walk over. "Hagrid, no Dumbledore, you stay back. Hagrid, come on, she doesn't have a horn to gouge you with, you just have to be careful of her hooves."  
  
Hagrid took a very nervous step forwards. "Er, why doesn't she have a horn?"  
  
"Black market traders." Sev answered, tightening his grip on her ear as she watched Hagrid carefully. "I found her when I was walking through the forest one day, about eleven years ago. As some of you may know, winged unicorns don't start growing their wings until they are three years old. Because they are gold and silver, when they are smaller, they are almost always mistaken for a unicorn going through their change. I'm guessing some poachers mistook her for one and cut out her horn and it's base. It couldn't grow back after that."  
  
She started getting a little restless as Draco kept whispering in her ear and Hagrid walked closer.  
  
"I gave her to Draco to look after. When we had fully healed her, she elected to stay with him. Birds of a feather, I suppose. Just stop there Hagrid, let her get used to you. Lupin! Stop smirking."  
  
Remus tried to wipe the smile off his face but failed miserably. "I remember when that was me." He pointed to Hagrid. "I was terrified. Draco handed her over to me to keep her safe when he had to return to Malfoy Castle on a permanent basis. When they started the conductor constructions."  
  
"You *knew* he was a spy?" Sirius asked incredulously. "The whole time?"  
  
"Of course. Who do you think the D was on all those instructions I received?"  
  
"Dumbledore."  
  
"Good. That's what you were supposed to think. I was L and he was D. Just in case anyone read one of them. I could claim it was Dumbledore and he could claim his was Lucius."  
  
Selena rose up on her hind legs harshly at Lucius' name, dragging both Draco and Sev off the ground. They all slammed back down forcefully but Draco didn't miss a beat and continued to whisper.  
  
"Shh, Lena, shh, it's okay. He's not here. He's not here. He's far away, hiding like the gutless scum he is. It's okay, this is Hagrid. He's a good friend. He'll look after you while I'm in class, and then we can spend lots of time together. You okay, Sev?"  
  
"I'm perfectly fine. I didn't need that ankle anyway."  
  
/Always the stoic bastard. But a lovely bastard./ Draco smiled and rubbed his face against Selena's cheek. "You should know better than that, Remmy." He scolded.  
  
"Sorry." Remus looked embarrassed. "I thought she wouldn't mind his name as much if you were here."  
  
"Just don't say it okay?" Draco rubbed her neck with his face again. /I missed you so much. Thank god you're here. You always make me feel better./  
  
Selena finally let Hagrid come close enough to touch her and the large man hesitantly stretched his hand out and stroked her neck gently. She tossed her head lightly, making him jump and nearly lifting the two Slytherins off the ground again. Draco stop whispering and let go of her ear and Sev took that as his cue to do the same.  
  
Selena snorted and sniffed at Hagrid for awhile as the half giant stood stock still. She nudged his shoulder with her head, nearly pushing him over.  
  
"She wants a pat." Draco said slowly. "She likes you."  
  
Hagrid patted the huge animal tentatively.  
  
/So beautiful, just like ....../ Draco let that train of thought go. "Okay, do you remember what I told you?" Draco hopped up on Selena's back by swinging on her neck. He tucked his legs away from her wings and played with her mane.  
  
"Um, she likes steak, but not too often, barley and honey and she's only allowed to drink water or rats' blood. Oh, and brush her and bathe her everyday and she likes her hooves scrubbed."  
  
"Can you manage all that?"  
  
"Course I can." Hagrid lifted his head a little. "I can manage any animal."  
  
/Uh huh, yeah right./ Draco smirked. "How *is* Norbert?"  
  
Hagrid made a face and turned back to Selena.  
  
"I'll be coming to visit her whenever I can. I only have seven lessons a week, so it should be good." Draco leant forward and wrapped his arms as far around Selena's neck as he could, his finger tips barely brushing each other. "Thank you Remmy, for looking after her so well."  
  
"She was getting a little temperamental without you." Remus said as Sev rejoined the group.  
  
/She wasn't the only one./  
  
"Draco?" Hermione said softly. "Can I get to know her?"  
  
"Sure, but can I take her for a fly first?"  
  
"Sure. It's just so amazing, I mean, they're suppose to be extinct. I wonder where her parents are?"  
  
"The Congo. They quite like it there. Selena goes to visit them every now and then." Draco removed the harness that Remus had used to fly her and chucked it to Hagrid.  
  
"By why doesn't she stay with them?" Hermione took a small step closer and raised herself to her toes, trying to see as much of Selena as she could. "With her own kind?"  
  
/I'm almost her own kind. Then again, I'm everything and nothing./ "Because she's my friend. I told her she didn't have to stay, but she wanted to. To keep Lucius away I guess." Selena's eyes had narrowed at the mention of the elder Malfoy, but she hadn't done anything else. Draco patted her. "Let's go." He threaded his fingers into her mane and Selena spread her wings and flashed them once, sending her and her small rider straight up. She seemed to rear up as if she was standing on solid ground and then soared through the sky.  
  
/She's so free and graceful./  
  
Draco motioned for her to go around the castle as everyone on the ground watched quietly.  
  
/I wish I could be free./  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 14  
  
Draco opened his eyes and rolled to his side, repressing the urge to throw up. He shot a glare to the Mandala, a type of Centaurion dream catcher that Firenze had made for him to try and help with the sleeping chore. It started to smoke he was scowling so much. "Anytime you want to start working, please feel free to go right ahead and do so." He sighed and rubbed the mark on his left arm for comfort, feeling the flames shift and twist under his skin.  
  
He had tried sleeping. It hadn't gone well. /Why am I not surprised? Oh, yeah, right. Be cause I tried this last week too./  
  
He rolled to his back. "Oh god, I'm so tired." He announced to the canopy. "Look brain, I seriously need sleep, so if you could just lay off the dreams, I would appreciate it." He knew there was no point in reasoning with it though. It only left him one option, if he really wanted to sleep.  
  
He got up and slowly made his way through the Slytherin dorms and to the outside, stumbling every now and then, his brain not being fully functional. His eyes kept slipping shut and the night air chilled his bare chest and back as he walked down the dim corridor to the painting of the Bloody Baron.  
  
"Wake up and open." He demanded around a yawn.  
  
The image opened it's eyes. "Password?"  
  
"Just open up."  
  
"I'm not going to unless you give me the password."  
  
Draco could barely remember his own name and he knew Sev had changed it a few days ago he just couldn't recall what it was now. /It was one of my nicknames, but which one? Oh to hell with this./  
  
Without any other option, he held his hand up and the tips of his fingers burst into flames. "Open or burn." He said it sleepily but the threat was still present and effective. The Bloody Baron didn't question him any further and swung open noiselessly.  
  
He padded softly into Sev's room and moved the blanket back. The sleeping figure stirred. "Draco?"  
  
"Yeah." He said softly, sliding in to lie down. "I couldn't sleep."  
  
"I worry, you know?"  
  
Draco turned to lie on his side, his back to Sev. "I know." He whispered back. "And I'm sorry." He shifting backwards a little and felt Sev's arms go around him, pulling him closer. He sighed happily as the soothing sensation through his skin took control and he slipped back to sleep.  
  
----------  
  
"Well, you have to do something." Sev said pulling out one of his robes.  
  
It was morning and Draco and Sev had fallen into what they did best lately. Arguing over Draco's well being. "I'm managing just fine, Sev. You don't have to worry so much."  
  
"Of course I do. It's my job."  
  
"Whatever, I'm just saying that I'll be fine."  
  
"Uh huh." Sev replied, not sounding in the least bit convinced. "Just don't do anything rash."  
  
"Like what?" Draco rummaged through a trunk he had left there.  
  
"I'm sure you'd manage to think of something. Something ..... drastic, given the turn of events of late."  
  
"Oh please Sev. I've been in love with him since I was thirteen, I think I can handle the fact that he's gone back to hating me. Don't make it sound like I'm going off to kill myself the second no-one's watching me." Draco dragged out an old robe and decided it would do. "Besides, even if I wanted to, I couldn't."  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"Because the little bastard won't let me disconnect us." Draco tapped his head. "God knows what would happen if one of us died before it gets separated."  
  
"Well, you shouldn't have done it in the first place."  
  
"I didn't *mean* to." Draco pulled the robe over his head. "It just kind of happened."  
  
"Draco." Sev grabbed the boy's shoulders. "A sixteen year old boy managed to invoke a three thousand year old ritual spell. Accidentally, might I add. And all he had to do was want it. Doesn't that tell you something?"  
  
"That ..... I'm ..... too powerful for my own good?" Draco said brightly.  
  
"Well, that and ..... How should I say it? You're. Obsessed. With. Him."  
  
Draco smiled. "Thank you for the update. But I was already well aware of that fact."  
  
Sev rolled his eyes and turned away again. "It can't be healthy. That's all I'm trying to say."  
  
"Come on. Let's go. Let's get this over with before one of us curses him."  
  
The two walked in silence towards the Headmasters office.  
  
"I don't see why I have to go talk to him." Draco said as they came to a stop next to the Gargoyle.  
  
"Draco, please. You've been putting it off ever since we came back from the Ministry. It can't hurt to just talk to him."  
  
"You know how I feel about him."  
  
"Yes, but that's all in the past now."  
  
Draco turned his head to look at Sev properly. "Are you saying you've forgiven him?"  
  
"No. And I probably never will. But he meant well."  
  
"Meant well!" Draco exclaimed with surprise. "I don't care what he meant."  
  
"Draco." Came the warning.  
  
"No! What he did was unforgivable." The door opened to reveal Dumbledore. Draco pushed past rudely and went to the office, taking a seat without it being offered. "Let's make this quick shall we? I have a lesson to teach."  
  
Dumbledore and Sev sat down as well. The headmaster looked at Draco carefully. "I wanted to talk to you about the Erosian Ritual."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Why? It's not like I followed through with it or anything."  
  
"Draco. I'm sure Severus doesn't know what it entails, but I do. I want to know why you were going to do it, and I also want to know the real reason of why you stopped."  
  
"I was going to do it, because it seemed like a good idea at the time. And Sev does know, thank you very much. I told him myself."  
  
"It's true Albus, he told me."  
  
"Did he tell you everything?" Dumbledore looked to Draco.  
  
The blonde squirmed slightly, knowing that he had avoided some of Sev's questions on the matter.  
  
"For instance Severus, do you know how it is done?"  
  
Sev looked the headmaster in the eye, wondering what was up. "I know some of it. You have to ingest hair and blood from the person you wish to protect. Then the incantation has to be spoken."  
  
Dumbledore smiled gravely. "And were you also aware that it is basically an intended copy of what Lily and James did for Harry? Protect them with you willingness to die for them? That you have to slit your wrists and let them slowly bleed on to your chosen target until you die? That is the final stage of the ritual."  
  
Sev shot an annoyed look to Draco who stared at the desk stubbornly. "No. I did not know that part."  
  
"I didn't think you would. Draco? Why?"  
  
"Like I said. It seemed a good solution. Harry would have been safe from anyone trying to kill him."  
  
"And you stopped because?"  
  
"Because he woke up and looked at me. I had to put him back to sleep. Even if he hated me, he wouldn't have let me bleed to death in front of him. But it gave me time to think, so I changed my mind."  
  
"Why?" Dumbledore pressed further.  
  
Draco looked up and scowled. "Because despite what people think, I'm not like others are. Going around doing whatever they want for their own selfish means."  
  
"Draco. Don't." Sev said simply.  
  
Draco shot Sev an apologetic look and turned back to Dumbledore. "In that short time it reminded me that I had other responsibilities. Sev, Blaise, all the spies who relied on me to keep them hidden from Voldemort. I just couldn't afford the time to die right then."  
  
Dumbledore stroked his beard slowly. "But what confuses me is why you'd decided upon it in the first place."  
  
"To keep Harry safe. I've already said that."  
  
"You'd die to protect him?"  
  
Draco gave a look that clearly said he though the headmaster was an idiot. "Of course I would. I love him. Besides, I figured I didn't have anything left to lose."  
  
"Except your life." Dumbledore pointed out.  
  
"First off, I wasn't crazy about the turn it had taken in any event and second off, by that time, Firenze had told me about my fate. I was already going to die. And I did, in case you had forgotten."  
  
"No, I don't think I'll ever forget watching you die."  
  
"I'm touched." Draco spat sarcastically. "Can I go now?"  
  
"Well, I was hoping ........ "  
  
Draco cut in. "Too bad. I hate sitting here listening to you ramble on and on with stupid questions that shouldn't even matter now."  
  
He stood up, ran his hand through Sev's hair and walked out, leaving the two men.  
  
/Let Sev listen to the stupid man whine./  
  
----------  
  
"Dumbledore said you were very rude." Sev walked in, not surprised to see Draco sitting in his room.  
  
"Good."  
  
"He also said that you've turned away every single meal he's had sent to your room. Is that true?"  
  
"Yes." Draco said shortly, deciding to get this lecture over and done with quickly.  
  
"I'm worried, Draco. You don't eat, you don't sleep, you're surviving on alcohol, cigarettes and coffee alone. Every single mirror you walk past suddenly doesn't reflect anymore. How do you manage it all without going insane?"  
  
Draco gave a small, sad smile. "Who said I'm not? Insane that is."  
  
Sev placed a sandwich in front of him. "You are not to do anything until I've watched you eat that." He sat in the other chair. "It's shoulder ham, your favourite. Eat. Now."  
  
Draco smiled a little stronger and picked it up, really not feeling like eating anything at all. He looked to Sev, wondering if he could charm his way out of it. But the sad look on the older man's face was enough for him to not even try. He slowly took a bite and chewed, ignoring that fact that his taste buds didn't seem to be working.  
  
He swallowed and automatically took another bite, mildly concerned at the sick feeling that was starting in his stomach already. He sat there and stoically ate the whole thing then lightly brushed the crumbs off of his hands.  
  
"Happy now?"  
  
"Better." Was all the answered that was offered.  
  
Draco stood up and walked over, knocking Sev's foot with his leg and making it fall off the other leg that it was resting on. He sat down on the newly presented lap and leant back pressing in as close to the other as was possible.  
  
"I know I haven't been living properly for awhile. But I am getting better. It was just such a huge adjustment. You'll see, in a century or so I'll be right as rain." Draco said the last part playfully and the other man smiled.  
  
/I don't need Harry in order for me to go on. Maybe to feel alive, I need him, but I don't need him to just exist. Besides, I do have Sev. And Blaise, Justin and Astra. And of course I have my adoring fans, being lead by Colin, Ginny and Neville. And why the hell do I have so many Gryffindor groupies? Salazar must be spinning like a top, in his grave. Serves him right. I'm glad I'm not really a Slytherin./  
  
"Sev?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Were you disappointed when the Sorting Hat didn't put me in Slytherin?"  
  
"No. Not at all. It would never have mattered to me, which house you were put in."  
  
Draco turned his head to look at him out of the corner of his eye. "Are you sure that *you're* supposed to be in Slytherin?"  
  
Sev chuckled and Draco rested his head down on the man's shoulder.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 15  
  
Draco, going against every instinct, had actually been talked into attending breakfast in the Great Hall that morning. He'd only had a small piece of toast, but that had been enough to make Sev relax somewhat. /Apparently Sev's decided the time to not push has passed. Damn him and his pleadings. And his bribery./ Draco smiled as he remembered that Sev had offered to convince Dumbledore to let Draco play for Slytherin in the next Quidditch match against Hufflepuff.  
  
And Sev wasn't about to take no for answer when it came to keeping his word to Draco. Dumbledore had folded eventually and consented to it, providing the Hufflepuff team had agreed. They had almost jumped at the chance to go against one of their professors. One of the 'saviours'. Draco idly played with his glass as he sat between Sev and McGonagall at the head table. /I wonder if I should take it easy or just flatten them straight out? Nah, I should make it last somewhat. If only for the pure fun of toying with them./  
  
All in all, it had been unsettling breakfast for Draco. He didn't have to do anything to be able to sense the odd feeling that something was going on at the far end of the Gryffindor table. Where Harry and Ron sat, occasionally whispering to each other and then looking to Draco.  
  
Draco had actually bothered to tune in at one point, enhancing his sense of hearing to eavesdrop. It did mean he had to put up another though, to block the rest of the Hall's occupants out. Especially Dumbledore, who was prattling on about how well all the houses were getting on with each other now. He focused in on Harry and Ron.  
  
"Shall we do it today?" Ron whispered, trying to avoid Hermione's sharp ears.  
  
"No. Wait until I get something else done first. There's this thing I'm researching. When that's all done, we can do it, but not before."  
  
"Okay, but research quickly, I'm nearly bursting here. This is going to be so good. I can't wait to see the look on Malfoy's stupid, pale face."  
  
/Bite me, Match Stick./  
  
"Yeah, but shh, don't let Hermione think anything's up."  
  
Draco snorted. /If they don't think Hermione knows something is going on, they're pretty thick. She was listening the whole time I was./ Draco hadn't even needed to look at the Gryffindor table to know that either. /So, it sounds as if the Gryffindor Duo are teaming up to do something? I suppose it was unavoidable./  
  
Draco took it lightly, but he couldn't silence the instinct that was whispering to him, advising him to brace himself. /Something is starting. This is going to be strong, I can feel it. Maybe I should scan their minds? NO! No, I promised myself that I'd never do that again, unless granted permission. Or under some *very* exceptional circumstances. Harry and Ron, plotting against me in some childish prank does not count, that's for damn sure. I hate doing that, I always felt so unclean, delving around in other people's minds./ He looked to Harry again, who looked away quickly.  
  
Draco modified the rule of life he had thought up before. /Never infuriate a Gryffindor. And don't push it, once you have./ Draco decided to sit back and wait for whatever was going to happen. /No matter how big it is, I can handle it. Bring it on guys, I'm not afraid of you./  
  
Draco smiled softly at Sev and left the Great Hall.  
  
----------  
  
Draco left his arm being tugged as he was about to walk into his classroom. He turned and smiled. "Hello Hermione."  
  
"Hi, Draco. Look, um, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."  
  
"If it's about the test ....... "  
  
"No, no, it's about Harry." That got Draco's attention. "And Ron. They're up to something. Something big, and I think it involves you."  
  
Draco gave a short laugh. "Yeah, tell me about it. I heard some of their conversation this morning."  
  
"You did? But you were all the way up at the head table?"  
  
Draco flicked his eyebrows and smiled. "And?"  
  
She laughed softly. "Just be careful, okay? When Ron and Harry get angry .... "  
  
"Ron's only angry for Harry's sake. If Harry wasn't angry, Ron wouldn't be either. Don't worry, I can handle them." /I hope./ "But thanks for the warning anyway." Draco put on a sad look. "Gryffindors, spilling Gryffindor secrets to Slytherins. Tsk, tsk, tsk. R.E.M were right. It *is* the end of the world as we know it." He flashed her a smile, actually feeling quite good for a change.  
  
Hermione playfully punched him in the arm. "Drop dead, blondie."  
  
Draco stuck his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. "Awwww, again? Do I have to?" He whined.  
  
She rolled her eyes and he motioned with his hand for her to enter the room first. He followed her in and went to the front of the room, putting his books and papers down. He smiled and nodded in greeting at his students, quickly checking that everyone was present.  
  
"Okay, today will mostly be another demonstration day. DOBBY!" He yelled, making some of them jump. An even louder noise, like a large whip being cracked and the house-elf appeared, standing on his desk.  
  
"Hello, Master Draco." Dobby said gleefully, throwing his small arms around the blonde's neck.  
  
"Hey, Dobbs. How goes it?"  
  
"Dobby is going well, thank you."  
  
Draco disentangled himself from the small creature and brought some coins from out of his pocket. He selected five Galleons and offered them to the house-elf. Dobby shook his head furiously. "No, Master Draco. You don't need to pay Dobby."  
  
"I insist." Draco pushed the coins into the smaller hands. "Please?"  
  
Dobby looked down at the coins, looked up at Draco and then looked down again. He nodded in defeat.  
  
"Good. Now Dobby, it's very simple. I'm going to pick a student and you're going to duel with them."  
  
Dobby's head snapped up, eyes widening and ears flopping right down. "Dobby is WHAT?" He squeaked. A few of the students laughed softly at his reaction.  
  
"You're going to duel them."  
  
"Dobby can not do that!"  
  
"Oh yes, Dobby can. And I even have permission from Dumbledore for you to do so."  
  
"Well then, Dobby does not approve."  
  
"Why do you think I insisted you be paid for your work?" Draco smiled brazenly.  
  
Dobby narrowed his eyes. "Dobby gets the feeling that Master Draco set Dobby up."  
  
"And Dobby would be correct. Now just go stand on that side." Draco motioned for Dobby to stand at the front of the room, on the students right side. The house-elf, muttering something under his breath, took his position.  
  
"Blaise!" Draco only looked at the boy, after he had said the name. "Thank you for volunteering."  
  
"I didn't!"  
  
Draco gazed evenly at his fellow Slytherin.  
  
"Aw man, Do I have to, Drake?" No answer. "Oh, fine. I guess there's no harm." Blaise muttered as he stood up and walked to the other side of the room.  
  
Draco clapped his hands once, to make sure he had their attention. "Okay, here are the rules. NO KILLING CURSES! You wait until I say to begin. If I say stop, you stop. Dobby? Just remember, I know what you can do, so no pretending. Blay? Er, just be careful to not destroy the wall behind him. I don't want either of you holding back anything. I can heal any wound under the sun, so no going lightly." He clicked his fingers and a large scoreboard appeared above his head. "And I want it to be as quick as possible. Be as aggressive as you want, it won't matter. Just no killing." He stated again.  
  
The scoreboard was displaying a timer set to zero, and two more zeros, one under each duellist's name. Draco checked to make sure it was working fine and then reset the values. "Okay, ready?"  
  
"Yeah." Blaise drawled.  
  
"No." Dobby squeaked out.  
  
"Very well, begin."  
  
Blaise lifted his wand and cast his first spell, a fire spell. Dobby blocked it with a strange, whirling, blue light and pointed his finger at him. A loud noise, similar to a canon going off accompanied the action of Blaise being lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall. /This is going to be good./  
  
----------  
  
An untouched Dobby was thanked by Draco and left. Exceedingly bruised, bleeding and sore Blaise took his seat back at his desk, grumbling about the pain. "I don't see why we had to go for twenty hits." He whined.  
  
"I just decided that I like seeing you get your arse kicked. Okay! Does anyone have any theory as to why Blaise kept losing so badly?" Several hands shot up, including Hermione's. "Yes, Susan?"  
  
The class discussed it at length, in between bouts of Blaise whining that Draco could get rid of the scoreboard now. They talked of strategy and spells and what they themselves would have done different. Except for the Gryffindors. Only Hermione was desperately waving her hand for attention, but Draco was giving some others a chance, before he got to her.  
  
He finally looked to where the Gryffindors sat. "Neville?" The boy looked panicked. "Do you have any ideas on what Blaise's very first mistake was?"  
  
"Um, he, er didn't take it very seriously?"  
  
Draco, who was sitting on his desk by this time, having a cigarette smiled. "Yes, exactly and?"  
  
"Um, and, er, and he underestimated Dobby?" Neville asked tentatively.  
  
Draco smile got wider. "Exactly. Which is why I picked a pure blood who was raised with house-elves as servants. Good judgement, Neville." The boy grinned at Draco.  
  
"Draco! Can I say something now?" Hermione pleaded, having to support her arm by this time, to keep it in the air.  
  
The blonde sighed. "Oh, very well. Let's hear it."  
  
The arm fell down gratefully. "Firstly, Blaise didn't try too hard because he didn't think Dobby was very powerful. If Dobby was a real enemy, he'd be dead by now. And then he made the mistake of still going easy on him, because, well, Dobby looks so breakable. Blaise was too concerned he'd seriously hurt him, obviously not knowing that house-elves are very resilient creatures."  
  
"Very, good. So Blaise's very first mistake was?"  
  
"His pride." Hermione answered quickly, before anyone else had a chance to think.  
  
"Correct, Hermione. Who here was raised as a muggle? A show of hands please." Draco ignored the fact that Harry didn't bother to raise his. "Now, for once television actually had the right idea. You *never* underestimate who you're going up against. I'm a very powerful wizard, and I always knew how to handle myself, but I made the mistake once of being too arrogant about what I could do."  
  
He put out his cigarette and faced his students. "I used to believe there was nothing in this world I couldn't do. Well, that's simply not true. So far, from what I've tried, I can do anything magical in this world, but that doesn't necessarily make me a god. I'm not perfect, and I overrated some of my abilities. I got severely burned for that mistake, so just remember that fact. Just because Voldemort is gone, doesn't mean they're aren't still people out there who will hunt you down and make you scream until you're spitting out blood."  
  
Everyone was silent for awhile. Neville raised his hand. "Did you ever correct your mistake?" He asked softly.  
  
/No, still living with it./ Draco smiled sadly, hoping it wasn't too obvious he was avoiding looking at Harry. "Thankfully, I appear to be the only one who suffered from it." /Too fucking arrogant for my own good. I should have listened to Sev./  
  
"Well, whatever it was, I think you're doing just fine now." Neville beamed at him and Draco returned it.  
  
"Hardly."  
  
Draco looked to Harry. "Is there something wrong, Mister Potter?"  
  
The obstinate Gryffindor looked up from his book. "I'm just saying I don't think you're fit to teach a class. And certainly not this one."  
  
"That's not true!" Neville jumped to Draco's defence before the blonde could say anything. "I think he's doing great!"  
  
Harry snorted. "Someone like him shouldn't be telling us about morals and what to do in times of need."  
  
Draco let it go, waving his hand at Blaise and Justin to sit down again. They had jumped up to argue back. They sat, scowling at where the Gryffindors sat.  
  
"Harry, you're being unfair." Hermione said gently, trying to defuse the situation.  
  
/And childish. Did we mention that? Bitching about this in front of the class./  
  
"No, I'm not. I mean okay, fair enough. So maybe he was working for our side. That doesn't excuse some of the things he did."  
  
"He helped save us." Neville was back to defending him now. "Voldemort couldn't have been brought down without him."  
  
"If you don't mind Mister Potter ...... " He was cut off.  
  
"I don't mind at all. I'm quite happy to discuss this here."  
  
Draco walked to stand directly in front of him. "I hardly think this is the time or place."  
  
"Exactly, Harry. You're being far too hard on him." Neville said, slightly annoyed. "We should be very grateful. He's a wonderful guy and we all owe him a lot."  
  
"Oh, come on Neville. Wise up." Harry turned his head to look Draco straight in the eye. "He's just a disgusting, worthless whore."  
  
Draco felt something inside of him fade to thin and then shatter, it was the only way he could explain the sudden burning pain. It had been one thing for him to think Harry went around with that on his mind, but to hear the words being spoken, almost crushed him. He was quickly finding it harder and harder to breath, but he acted his way through it well. Keeping his face unchanged.  
  
/If there's one thing I can do, it's act. But not for long. I feel sick./ "Get out." It was barely a whisper but the whole class heard it. "All of you. This lesson is over." He held his hand up. "Go study in the library, Hermione." He said as she opened her mouth. But his eyes never left Harry's. /Keep it together, keep it together./ "Class dismissed." He hissed out.  
  
Everyone, except Harry, packed up hurriedly, shoving books into bags and crushing parchment in their rush to get out of the room and away from the rising tension. The green eyed Gryffindor lazily put everything away and stood up, most of his class mates already gone. Without breaking eye contact for even a moment he slowly walked backwards to the door, as Hermione and Ron dragged him.  
  
He gave Draco one last contemptuous look and shut the door behind himself. Draco raised his hand and placed every single locking charm he knew on the entrance.  
  
As the last one slipped into place, his legs gave out from under him and he fell heavily to the ground, landing on his knees first and then slipping to the side and on to the cool stone of the floor, leaning on his left arm for support. He slowly raised his hand up to cradle his head by his forehead. In the quiet of the empty room he let out a choked sob.  
  
/I'm so sorry, Honey. I'm just so sorry./  
  
And for the first time in ten years, making it the second time in his entire life, Draco started to cry.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 16  
  
Draco rubbed the damp wash cloth over his face, cleaning off what was left of his tears and pointedly ignored the mirror that was above the basin. It wasn't reflecting anything anyway. /A mirror that's not reflecting and still I can't look at it. I'm so messed up. Maybe it's about time for therapy?/ He didn't bother to turn as he heard the door open. /Who else would it be? It's his bloody room anyway. Fucking Harry. No brain, I didn't mean that way. Those days are over, enjoy the memory./  
  
"I went by your classroom." Sev gently said as he walked up to stand behind the young man. "It was empty."  
  
"I let them out early today."  
  
"You've been crying." It wasn't a question so Draco didn't offer an answer. "You must have been rather upset. Either that or some one was attacked. I cleaned up the blood, by the way."  
  
"Thank you." Draco barely got his voice to whisper level. /Thank god someone thought to do that. I have to focus more./  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Nothing ............. Everything. I don't know. I think it just got too much for me. It just kept building up and building up." He ran his hands through his hair. "Until of course, I snapped."  
  
"It was bound to happen one day." Sev slipped his hands around to rest on Draco's chest and then drew the smaller wizard closer, into his chest. "You always kept pushing things to one side, waiting for them to get better by themselves. Life just doesn't work that way."  
  
"I know. I was just hoping it would for once."  
  
"You can't magic your problems away."  
  
"Yes, I can. It's just too dangerous as a permanent solution."  
  
Sev kissed him on the top of the head and let him go. "Was it Harry?"  
  
Draco looked up, his eyes still blood red where they should be white. "Who else? What else? It just got to be a bit much, that's all. I'll be fine."  
  
Sev gave a humming noise that clearly indicated that he wasn't as optimistic. "Let's go read by the lake, now that the snow is gone."  
  
"Very well. Do I look okay?"  
  
"Why don't you use the mirror." That too, wasn't really a question, more of a suggestion.  
  
"No thank you. I'd rather that I didn't."  
  
"Then you look just fine."  
  
Draco cast a freshening charm on himself anyway, grabbed up a book and followed Sev out to the grounds. A blanket appeared at the wave of a hand, followed by a chair for Sev to sit in. Draco lay down on the blanket to the side of the chair and opened his book, ignoring the onlookers of students who didn't have classes until Monday and were milling around the grounds.  
  
He smiled and waved at Justin and Blaise who were sitting a little way off, their feet splashing in the water, and they returned the gesture before making some rather rude ones, involving some exuberant hand movements and tracing a zigzag down their foreheads. /Showing what they thought of Harry's little outburst, no doubt. I've got some great friends./ He smiled at them and turned to his book.  
  
Even with his gift of absorbing the information books held, by a mere touch, Draco still enjoyed the real activity of reading and before long was absorbed. The only sounds coming from each of the wizards being a page turned every now and then. Until two men walked out of the forest and approached them.  
  
"Traitors!" One yelled. Draco looked up and recognised him as the brother of some female Death Eater that had since been made a Dementor. The other had been her husband.  
  
"Death Eater supporters, Sev." He said calmly.  
  
"Indeed? Deal with it, will you? I'm at a extremely interesting chapter." Sev said back evenly, barely giving the advancing men a glance.  
  
The other students watched in horror as the mystery men raised their wands at the two who didn't even seem to be defending themselves. It didn't even look as if they were paying any attention. Until the wands were ripped out of their owners hands to come lie next to Draco and the men were picked up off the ground by an invisible hand and then held there. Draco decided to smack them together, as a way of punishing them for the rude interruption and both men squawked when it happened.  
  
"Blaise!" He called out. "Go tell Dumbledore to summon some Aurors! Oh! And could you get me a drink while you're at it?"  
  
"I will." Justin offered and got up off the ground, and the two boys ran for the main building.  
  
Some of the younger students walked over and looked at the two suspended men. Draco smiled impishly at Sev and then proceeded with a very odd puppet show. He returned to reading as the two men bobbed around, with amusing voices saying silly things as the children laughed.  
  
Even some of the elder students came over. Hermione took a place on the blanket, next to Draco and watched, wondering how he could do that without looking. Draco didn't need a sixth sense to feel her almost bursting with curiosity. Blaise and Justin returned with his requested drink and sat with her. But after about half an hour there were more strange people approaching. Sev looked up.  
  
"The Aurors are here, Draco. You'd better put them down."  
  
Draco didn't even bother to look up from his book. "Very well." He smacked them together one last time and abruptly deposited them at the Aurors feet. The group of onlookers broke up slowly and wandered away, most of them obviously being in even more awe of Draco than ever before.  
  
Hermione had stayed behind though. "Draco? I'm sorry about Harry and the things he said. He's being a real prick lately. I don't know what it is."  
  
"It doesn't matter." Draco said, trying to sound sincere. He was pleased to hear that he managed it quite well. /Ah, acting, where would I be without you? Oh yeah. Dead. The real dead kind, not the die then be brought back kind. Why did he bother anyway?/  
  
Hermione was looking at his hand. "Those are very beautiful." She was pointing at the two rings that were there.  
  
"Thanks." Draco brought his hand back and covered it with the other.  
  
"The smaller one had the Snape family crest?" She blushed. "I recognised it from your home, sir. What was the green and red one?"  
  
"Nothing." Draco shifted slightly and Hermione didn't miss it. "It doesn't matter."  
  
"Oh. Okay. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."  
  
Draco could practically hear her brain whizzing around, searching for the most likely conclusions. "How are your other classes going." /Pointless I know seeing as this is Hermione, but still./  
  
"Oh, just great. Really fascinating in Arithmancy right now."  
  
Draco saw the patented Hermione look of 'I wonder if I should ask' settle on the young girl's face and he sighed. "What is it now, Hermione?"  
  
"Oh nothing. Just that ...... " She paused and he waited patiently. "Harry said that you said you had already graduated. But how?"  
  
Draco put on his best 'teaching' voice. "Miss Granger are you aware of the examination program called the G.N.O.M.Es and what it entails?"  
  
Hermione's breath caught and Draco heard Sev repress a laugh. "You don't mean the Ghastly, Nail-biting, Overwhelming, Mind-bending Exams do you?" He looked at her. "No. You can't mean them." He kept looking at her and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my god! You do?"  
  
Draco nodded slowly, smiling at her look. "That's how I spent the first week after our sixth year ended. My father knew someone who could get me in it." He frowned. "Unfortunately, they couldn't just say I'd passed. I actually had to do it. Thank god I never have to again. It wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world."  
  
"But, but, but." Hermione spluttered and then took a calming breath. It didn't seem to work very well. "Those are said to be the worst exams that you'll ever have to sit in your entire life?"  
  
"And sadly, they weren't lying about that little fact."  
  
"Only a hundred or so have ever tried sitting it."  
  
"Yeah, and only a handful of those actually survived, let alone passed."  
  
"Nicolas Flamel almost didn't manage a passing grade." She looked him completely over. "And he had two hundred and thirty two years to study for it."  
  
Draco nodded staring at the blanket. "All I can say is, thank god I can regenerate. At one point, my entire abdomen area had been ripped open from one of the theory papers alone. Those things are vicious if not under the proper control, like the ones at school are."  
  
"Hermione? Are you coming back or not?"  
  
Draco and Hermione looked up to see Harry and Ron standing there. "Ah, Mister Potter. So glad to see you." Draco said, letting sarcasm slip into his voice. "I've let myself cool down, literally, and have thought that ten points off Gryffindor and a months worth of detention with Filch shall be enough for your little display in class today."  
  
Harry actually acknowledged Draco's presence at that and looked to the blonde with a trace of surprise. "What? I'm getting detention for speaking the truth?" He hissed.  
  
"Harry! Stop it!" Hermione glared at him and got it returned.  
  
Draco picked himself up and stood, looking back. "Yes. You are." He nodded slowly. "Because it was highly inappropriate. If you have any personal problems with me, I suggest you take it up with either Dumbledore or myself."  
  
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Fine. I'll speak to the headmaster. But it won't do any good."  
  
"Also, I have been getting the distinct impression that you and your good friend Mister Weasley here, are planning further little disturbances in my class." Both boys glared at Hermione this time so Draco waved his hand in dismissal of their silent allegations. "Miss Granger has not told me anything of such matters. Don't blame her. But I would suggest you don't try anything further."  
  
"And I should listen to you because ......... " Harry trailed off. "After all, Ron and I were having so much fun. And isn't this the time to be celebrating? Voldemort's demise and all?" He put on a look of apology. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot that you must be missing your boyfriend."  
  
Both Gryffindor boys jumped when an unexpected growl came from Sev, but Draco held his hand up for the teacher to not get involved. Blaise and Justin were also standing a little way off, having seen what was happening.  
  
Draco lifted his hand and curled his fingers towards himself, as if in a beckoning motion and Harry's body leant forwards. Magic, being the only thing that was keeping him upright. Draco leant the rest of the distance until their foreheads were nearly touching. His voice dropped to a threatening level when he spoke.  
  
"If it's war you want, Mister Potter, I can give it to you." Draco held the Gryffindor's gaze evenly. "But just be careful. I've played this game a lot longer than you have." He sent Harry a smile that would have made an Auror cower. "And you know I don't like to lose."  
  
He returned the surprised and slightly daunted Harry to an upright position and gave a small head bow at Hermione. Catching up to where his friends stood, the two Slytherins and the Hufflepuff walked off in silence as Sev followed as well.  
  
"What was that, Drakie?" Justin said softly when they were out of hearing range of the Gryffindors.  
  
"That? Oh nothing, really. I think that war was just openly declared, that's all."  
  
"He'll probably get his friends to join in." Blaise said shooting a look back and scowling.  
  
"Yeah. Probably." Draco said absently. /Well, this is going to be fun now isn't it? Still I think I know what to expect./  
  
"Well, Drakie. You've got me."  
  
"Me too." Blaise joined in.  
  
"And I'll bet it wouldn't take anything at all to convince Stra to join in." Justin added.  
  
Draco smiled. "No, probably not. Even if it is Harry we're going up against."  
  
"That's settled then." Justin slipped his arm around Draco's shoulders. "So, you Verses Hufflepuff?"  
  
Draco looked to Justin. "Where do your loyalties lie now?"  
  
"Hmm." Justin faked deep thought for a second before shrugging. "Obvious, isn't it?" He smiled mischievously. "Kill 'em."  
  
The three boys snickered as they walked back inside.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 17  
  
Draco sat calmly on his Thunderbolt and surveyed the Quidditch pitch, hunting for the telltale flash of gold as the match played on below him. He finally spotted the snitch hovering near the Gryffindor stands.  
  
Well to be completely honest, he spotted Ron and Harry desperately trying to get the Hufflepuff Seeker's attention and point it out to her. /Ah, the age old art of trying to cheat. God, Gryffindors really suck at it. Bloody good thing they've got the whole bravery thing to fall back on./  
  
Draco sped to the stand and was just about to swoop down for the snitch as he zoomed past parallel to the side, when he felt something hit the end of his broom. It startled him for a second but got control and returned to the edge of the stand, coming face to face with an innocent looking group of Gryffindors.  
  
This meant he had his broom absolutely vertical, using all the strength in his right arm to make it look as if he was just standing next to it in mid- air. This certainly puzzled most that were watching. He looked Harry straight in the face. "That was a little rude, don't you think?" He hopped back on his broom and raced off before the boy could answer him.  
  
The match over in thirty seconds as he easily ambushed the snitch and caught it. He slowly went back down to the ground shaking the hands of all his students until he came to Astra.  
  
"What the hell was all that crap with Harry?" She hissed and then shot a smile to some Hufflepuff boy who sped past.  
  
"Oh, didn't you know? We've gone to war."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
Draco looked over to where Harry, Ron, Seamus and Dean were standing. The four boys were completely ignoring everything else, just watching Draco. "I'll tell you back at the dorms." Draco got to the ground and hopped off gracefully as Astra landed as well. She was staring at the small Gryffindor group as well.  
  
Justin rushed up and gave Draco a huge hug, almost strangling the slightly shorter blonde. "You were spectacular! Oh my god. I don't think I've ever ... "  
  
Draco broke in. "Okay, okay, you're killing me here. I get the idea, I did good."  
  
"Good?" Blaise had reached the group. "You were fantastic! And did you see the look on those idiot Gryffindors' faces?"  
  
Draco smirked. "What? You mean that look?" He pointed over to where they stood, fuming.  
  
"Yeah. Um, yeah, that's about right, actually."  
  
Astra gave a low whistle. "Man. They looked pissed off about something. So what's this war?"  
  
"When we get back, Stra. It could take awhile to explain."  
  
Astra grabbed his hand and started to drag him towards the school. "Well, come on then. I'm dying to know."  
  
Draco fought off the younger, completely hyperactive Slytherins and the four rushed into his room. They all took a seat on Draco's large bed, with the blonde sitting at the head, leaning on the board.  
  
"Okay." Astra was clearly impatient with such news like this. "Spill."  
  
So the three boys told her pretty much everything that had happened between Draco and Harry since the blonde had woken up from his dying episode.  
  
"But why do you think he's being such a bitch?" Astra frowned, when they had finished.  
  
"He's angry. I fucked him around a lot."  
  
"Well, yeah. But most of that was plausibly justified at the time."  
  
"Stra, sweetie. I don't really think he cares about that." Draco smiled grimly. "How many people would?" /Would I? Well, probably, but like I said, I'm screwed up in the head./  
  
"But didn't you try and tell him everything?"  
  
"He brushed me off."  
  
"And you didn't make him listen?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Yeah, why not?" Blaise said shifting a little as Justin leant back to lean in his arms.  
  
"Look, it's just better this way."  
  
"What crap." Astra gave Draco a look that clearly said she thought he was being an idiot. "Why didn't you force him to listen to your side of the story."  
  
Draco looked up from the blanket, to her and smiled weakly. "I couldn't really stand the look in his eyes. It was ....... It was just wrong. Cold, venomous. It just wasn't nice."  
  
"I've never known you to give up so easily." She fired back.  
  
Draco scowled. "You've never had the chance. Getting Harry was the only thing in my life I ever had to really try at. The only thing I truly had to fight for." His face softened. "Even being a spy came as almost second nature. But getting Harry was different, I had to work for it. And even then it seemed a little too easy at times."  
  
"And that's a bad thing?"  
  
Draco smiled softly, shaking his head. "No. Not at all. Quite pleasant really."  
  
"So you're just going to give him up and go ahead with this whole warfare thing?"  
  
"Jesus Stra. You make it sound as if 'giving up' is the easiest thing in the world."  
  
"Well, isn't it the cowards way out?"  
  
Draco shot her a look. "Not always."  
  
All three gave him a look of their own.  
  
"It's better this way." He said sadly.  
  
"For who, exactly?" She said hotly.  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Him, dumbarse. What? You think I'm doing this for my own fucking benefit? Well think again. Look, he's angry, hurt and sick and tired of me fucking his life around. Hell, *I'd* try and destroy me too!"  
  
"Would you try to destroy him?" Draco didn't answer her. "Well? If he walked in right this moment, called you a whore and then just sat down, what would you do?"  
  
"I'd retaliate. It's not in my nature to let everything go. Last time just took me by surprise, that's all."  
  
"Could you destroy him, though?"  
  
He looked up. "If it was justifiably provoked, fuck yeah. Don't get me wrong, I love the prick. I really do. But I won't stand aside as people try and walk all over me."  
  
Blaise cleared his throat for attention. "What if he came in right now and said he'd take you back?"  
  
Draco snorted, conveying how likely he thought that would be. "I'd want to." He slowly shook his head. "But I wouldn't."  
  
"Why?" Astra pressed further.  
  
Draco looked to the Hufflepuff. "Justin? Can I ask you something seeing as we're sort of on the topic?" The boy nodded hesitantly. "Why did *you* break up with him?"  
  
Blaise shifted uncomfortably as Justin bit his lip. "Um, I guess, I just knew that I'd have to be busy. I was spending most of my days doing that mind blank thing so that Voldemort wouldn't suspect anything. And then there was this one." He smiled and pushed back into Blaise.  
  
Draco crossed his arms abruptly. "I'm not a simpleton, you know?"  
  
Justin blushed. "Very well. It was a simple fact. You had just put your neck out to get me safe and had sat me down, spending hours to explain every little thing that I would have to know in order to stay alive. I'm not stupid myself and I saw the difference between you and me. I didn't love him, you did."  
  
"So?"  
  
Justin looked up. "I had no right to get in the way." He held his hand up for silence before Draco could argue. "No, that's what it felt like I was doing. You kept asking me about every second I had spent with him. Even I could tell you cared. I could *never* have sacrificed everything that you did, in order to keep him safe."  
  
Draco looked away. "It wasn't just him for him."  
  
"No. But he was one of the main reasons that you were there. Doing what you had to do. Him and Professor Snape." Justin gave a bleak smile. "I honestly believe you would never have left Hogwarts to permanently join Voldemort, if it wasn't for those two."  
  
Draco didn't reply and the four of them sat in silence for awhile.  
  
"I just don't think you should have let him go so soon."  
  
"Can we talk about something *other* than Harry?"  
  
"Like what?" They all said at once.  
  
"Something. ......... Anything! ..... Better yet. You guys bugger off, I have to cast a sleeping charm on myself and get some rest."  
  
They nodded as they stood up, knowing that he needed to get some sort of sleep. Blaise dragged his boyfriend out and Astra walked to the door. She turned to grab the handle and looked at Draco.  
  
"Okay, I'm in. I'll stand by you against him, even though he was always good to me. House spirit and all. Just one thing though. I don't get it. You love him, so why? Why give him up?"  
  
Draco smiled slightly at her persistence. "*Because* I love him."  
  
She frowned a little and then closed the door after herself. Draco sat down on the bed and let out an unsteady breath. /I hate my life. Oh come *on*, Draco. Grow up, already. It's not that bad. After all, it could be so much worse. Well, maybe not that much./  
  
He groaned and sat up. /All these stupid games with the Gryffindors mean that I'm not going to sleep tonight, that's for sure. No rest for the wicked./ He gave a soft laugh and stood up, heading for the door.  
  
He wandered the halls without paying any attention to where he was actually heading. His mind raced along with thoughts. /I have to go back to the way I lived. I do what I have to, no more, no less. I watch carefully for any little details, I wait for my time. Don't anticipate too far. Watch what I say, what I do, even what I think. Oh shut up brain, I'm well aware I promised we wouldn't have to ever again when this was all over./  
  
He found himself at the Old Astronomy Tower so he turned around and headed back down. /Harry and Ron. It looks as if he may have enlisted Finnigan and Thomas as well. Neville won't go for it and they won't even ask Hermione. She'd find it childish. But they could get most of Gryffindor to at least side with them, if not join in. Looks like Gryffindor and Slytherin are pitted against each other again. Dumbledore will be so disappointed./ Draco actually gave a genuine smile at that thought.  
  
He took in his surroundings and found that he had wandered into an abandoned classroom. One of his sighs broke the silence as he realised it was the one that held the Mirror of Erised. He walked up to it, carefully avoiding his own image and sat down on the floor.  
  
He smiled sadly at what he saw. He never asked himself why nothing ever changed very much. His greatest desires had merely evolved as he had gotten older. Every year no matter what, Sev had stood to his image's right, but back a little, by maybe a step. He was looking happy, or at least contented, while holding the paper that Draco had always known to say that Lucius was in Azkaban and Sev was now his legal guardian.  
  
/And Harry./ Draco looked at the image of Harry now as the Gryffindor's lips moved in words that the mirror wasn't able to produce the sound for. /Harry was always there./  
  
In Draco's first year, when Dumbledore had shown him the mirror, he and Harry, each of them smiling cheerfully, had stood side by side as friends. Draco had known that it would be best for them to not actually be friends, which meant he had to go around insulting Harry's friends and making fun of him, but that didn't mean the blonde hadn't wanted the other boy's friendship.  
  
In Draco's second year, he had be slightly confused at first, wondering why his reflection had been holding Harry's hand. But by the third year, he'd figured it out and wasn't the least bit surprised to see he had his arm around the other boy's shoulders, Harry's arm around his waist with both still smiling softly at each other.  
  
During his fourth viewing of the mirror, the real Draco had actually blushed when Harry's image had given his a kiss on the cheek. The blonde had thanked god that Dumbledore, who had been hovering close by as usual, couldn't see what was being emulated.  
  
The fifth year had been a soft kiss on the lips for the two boys in the reflection, while the sixth had been one that was a little more intimate. That had been before Draco had in fact ever kissed the Gryffindor in real life.  
  
/And now so much has changed./ Draco still sat watching. He put his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hand as the image played over and over. Harry's likeness continuously repeating the same sentence to Draco's.  
  
Now Draco didn't desire anything physical such as a kiss or a hug. He'd had all that and while it was nice, it wasn't what he wanted the most anymore. All he wanted was the three words that Harry's lips kept silently forming. Ones that he could almost hear, but that was only in his own mind.  
  
And still the lips kept moving as Draco watched them carefully.  
  
[I forgive you.]  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 18  
  
Draco was very apprehensive as he walked into his classroom. The Gryffindors hadn't done anything direct since the incident at the Quidditch match and he knew they wouldn't have called off whatever they had on their agenda. His eyes swept over where the four of them sat, seven times just to be sure.  
  
The four boys were all sitting there quietly and calmly. /Something is definitely up. Wait for them to make their move./  
  
"Good afternoon class." Almost everyone smiled as he perched himself on his desk. "Yes Hermione?"  
  
Hermione's hand had been waving madly the second he had greeted them. "Are we going to be working with Boggarts?"  
  
Draco sighed. "And you knew that how?" He was well aware how she knew, and wasn't at all surprised that she had picked up on it.  
  
"Because you've been teaching us the seven deadly sins." She beamed as he raised an eyebrow. "Well, we've done lust, anger, greed, sloth, jealousy and pride, so fear must be the last. Hence, Boggarts."  
  
"Class, I'm sure this will stun you to your very core, but the lovely Miss Granger is correct in her analysis of the situation. And we shall be indeed dealing with Boggarts."  
  
"Some teacher." Ron scoffed. "Now we're doing stuff we learnt in our third year."  
  
Draco smiled, showing his annoyance. "Mister Weasley, did you not listen to your charming girlfriend at all? I'm showing you the seven deadly sins."  
  
The four Gryffindor boys snickered. "And it's just so fascinating." Harry drawled.  
  
Draco sighed. "The concept that Misters Finnigan, Potter, Thomas and Weasley, have missed is fairly simple." He smirked as they glared. "Anyone can teach you how to fight a vampire or a troll. I'm teaching you to fight yourself. And yes Hermione, you are being graded on this at the end of term, please put your hand down."  
  
Hermione complied as the rest of the class looked blank. Draco smiled. "I've seen some of the best Aurors end up in a very bad way, while some wizards as clumsy as Neville used to be, have triumphed. Why?"  
  
"Luck?" Called out one of the Ravenclaws.  
  
"Sometimes to a certain degree, luck plays a part. But the trick is to keep your head during a battle. Figuratively and literally. If you remain calm, ignoring all of the so called sins during battle, you're most likely going to be able to think of the best way to win."  
  
He thought for a moment. "Of course that doesn't apply to every fight. Many fights have been one because the victor wanted it the most. Instinct kicked in and they did it. Their anger hit so high a level, they lost their sense of fear and went with what ever they could. But fear is one of the strongest emotions I've ever experienced. It shows us clearly what we care about the most. Most of us fear for our lives, our friends and family."  
  
"So we're not defeating Boggarts?" Blaise looked slightly confused.  
  
"It's one thing to defeat a Boggart. I want to see if you can stand up to your fears. Mister Potter?" Harry looked to him with his disrespect showing clearly. "Will the Boggart still take the form of a Dementor for you?"  
  
Harry reluctantly nodded.  
  
"Then you are excused from the practical side of these lesson. Unfortunately you're fear has the nasty habit of rendering you unconscious, if you're not trying to defend yourself. Can't have students passing out in class now can I?" Draco smiled at the look of annoyance on the Gryffindors face. /Wait for his move, damn it. Don't you ever listen to me?/  
  
"Miss Granger? As you always seem so excited about lessons, would you like to be the first one to come up and face your fear?"  
  
Hermione, looking slightly apprehensive stood up and walked to the front of the room. "Nothing to worry about now. Er, is your fear the same as third year?"  
  
She nodded tightly, obviously bracing herself.  
  
"Very well. Please hand me your wand."  
  
"What?" She handed it over anyway, with her natural instinct to obey her professors, kicking in.  
  
"Hermione, I don't want you to fight the Boggart, I want you to stare your fear down. See if you can change it. If you can't it doesn't matter, few people can make their greatest fear change. Just reason with it in your mind." She frowned in confusion. "Try and see that it really isn't that much to be scared about anyway."  
  
She nodded, taking all this in. "Have you ever done this? Trying to let go of what you fear?"  
  
"Yes." Draco said simply and then plucked on of her hairs out.  
  
"Ouch." She yelped her hand flying to her head. "What was that for?"  
  
"I need a sample of you, so I can coax the Boggart to only respond to your fear and nobody else's." Draco walked over to one of the cupboards and knocked on the door. An answering bump could be heard and he put his hand through the wood of the door, his lips moving without any sound. When he retrieved his hand, he was no longer holding the long strand of brown hair. "That should do it. I've fused your hair into it, so it'll only focus on you. Ready?"  
  
Hermione nodded as Draco moved back to his desk. He waved his hand and the door swung open. A perfect replica of Draco stepped out. The real Draco gave the young girl a look and she shrugged. "All my other teachers have told me how well I'm doing." She said softly as the Boggart walked over to her.  
  
"Miss Granger. I'm sorry to inform you that you have failed every aspect of my class." Hermione whimpered, her face pale. "You may even have to return next year." Her knees started to tremble.  
  
The real Draco watched her carefully as her lip started to wobble. The Boggart Draco walked around telling her all the things she has gotten wrong on the test. /The test we haven't even had yet. Jesus, and I thought *I* had problems./  
  
"*And* you failed to defeat a cave troll."  
  
"But we haven't even studied them this term!" Hermione shot back, panic showing on her face.  
  
"Hermione." The real Draco cut in. "What are the chances of you failing this class?"  
  
"Very high." The Boggart said.  
  
"Not you! Hermione? Think hard. What are the chances?"  
  
"Um, I don't know. I thought I was doing so well."  
  
"Come on. What are the chances?"  
  
"Exceedingly good." The Boggart offered.  
  
"Shut up, you pathetic imitation. Think. Concentrate."  
  
"Um, well, I always do so well."  
  
The Boggart flickered, as if it was an image on a broken television.  
  
Draco smiled. "Good. That's good. Keep trying."  
  
"And I've never failed anything. Not even Potions when Professor Snape seemed so against us."  
  
The Boggart flickered again.  
  
"In fact. I've held the highest scores in every single class, ever." Hermione stood up straighter. "There's no chance I could fail."  
  
The Boggart seemed to spasm and then transformed into Harry. Draco waved his hand and it was pushed back into the cupboard, the door slamming shut. "Excellent, Hermione. You did very well."  
  
She beamed and then frowned. "Why did it change to being Harry?"  
  
Draco smiled. "You lost your fear of failing the class, so it had to change to the next on your list."  
  
"Oh." She nodded and then hurried to her desk and scribbled things on to her notes.  
  
"You anyone like to volunteer to face their greatest fear? Justin?"  
  
Justin's face went paler than Draco's and he shook his head furiously. "N .... no, thank you."  
  
Draco frowned. "Not even for a moment?"  
  
Justin shook his head again, but Blaise nudged him and gave him a reassuring smile. "If it's a snake or something, it's not like Drake's going to let it bite you."  
  
Justin looked to Draco. "I won't get hurt?"  
  
The blonde smiled and shook his head slightly. "Of course not. Just try it for a little while. What are you most afraid of?"  
  
Justin didn't answer, just stood up and went to the front of the room, his hands trembling hard already as he gave Draco his wand. Draco studied him thoughtfully for a second before he took one of the boy's hairs. He magicked it into the cupboard and fused it with the Boggart, remembering to remove Hermione's trace.  
  
Justin cringed as the door swung open and Draco's eyes narrowed as Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the cupboard. He was holding a knife. Most of the class had jumped a little at seeing him. "Well, well, well, it's my son's little catamite again." The Lucius copy growled out. "The one who doesn't know his place."  
  
Justin shook harder and Draco watched him carefully. The Boggart moved closer, but Draco had placed up a barrier already, ensuring it couldn't reach the young Hufflepuff.  
  
"Justin." Draco said gently. "Do you think you can beat this?"  
  
Justin shook his head. "Don't think so, no. Just make him go away."  
  
"Would you like me to cut you again, boy?" Lucius hissed out. "That was so much fun, tying you to the bed and watching you bleed."  
  
Draco waved his hand and the Boggart was practically thrown back into the cupboard. "I think that's enough for you today." /That, and I don't even want to see something that looks like him./  
  
Justin nodded gratefully and returned to his place.  
  
Draco looked over to where the four Gryffindor boys were sitting, laughing softly to each other. He moved further onto the desk and absently picked up a quill that was sitting there. He looked to the ceiling confused as a hushed noise reached his ears. His fingers twirled the quill.  
  
The noise got louder and soon the entire class was looking around for the source. Except for Harry and his friends. They were sitting up straight, trying not to smile. That rather blatantly gave it away, that they were the cause. The noise was loud enough to understand now.  
  
Draco gave a boys a dry look as he realised it was his own voice. Moaning, rather loudly, to Voldemort and saying some very inappropriate things. He looked around for the source as his fingers kept moving. Some of his students blushed as they started to make out the words. Not seeing anything he closed his eyes and scanned the room.  
  
"Mmm, Voldemort. I'll be your little whore."  
  
"Ron! What have you done? STOP IT!" Hermione's voice cut through as he latched on to the source.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked at the quill, his fingers no longer moving it. He had sensed both Harry's and Ron's magical signatures on it. Silently casting the counteract spell, the noise stopped midway of a very loud moan of ecstasy, the quill turning to dust in his hands and he looked at the two who had made it.  
  
"I think that little display was very immature."  
  
None of them said anything but Ron did give a mock bow with his head.  
  
/Well, I guess that would be their move, not very ingenious, but original so far. And that means it's my turn now./ "I'll be talking to your mother about this, Mister Weasley." Draco looked over to Harry and smiled insincerely. "And just as soon as I get a ouija board, I'll talk to yours too." The rest of the class were too apprehensive to even breathe.  
  
Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously, but Draco continued on as if he didn't notice. "Mister Weasley? Is your greatest fear still Aragog?" Ron's fear had been spiders in general, but ever since the fifth year, it had focused solely on that one in particular. Ron reluctantly nodded his answer. "Very well, please come up here."  
  
Ron shook his head disobediently. "No thanks, don't feel like it right now. Still in such a good mood."  
  
"Mister Weasley. If you seem so adamant about my class being boring, so much so you have to resort to tricks to keep yourself amused, come up here and I'll make *damn* sure it's interesting for you." Draco lightened his tone, sounding sympathetic. "Of course, I'll understand if you don't want to." Draco's smile went even colder. "But even your girlfriend had the guts to come up and face her fear. You're setting a bad example for your relationship."  
  
Ron stood up quickly and walked to the front, slamming his wand on to the desk. "Fine. Do whatever." He spat.  
  
Draco's smile got a little wider and he set it up. The Boggart came out as Aragog and headed straight for Ron. One swipe of it's front left leg and blood was dripping down Ron's right arm.  
  
"There's no barrier." Screeched the redhead in a panic.  
  
"Really?" Draco drawled, as if bored. "I must have forgotten to put one up." He smiled even harder as Ron hid behind the teacher's desk while Aragog circled around to find him, muttering the words 'blood' 'food' and 'so hungry' under it's breath.  
  
Draco hopped back up to sit on the table and lit up a smoke as Harry and Seamus both tried to alter the Boggart. "Oh, by the way class. You can only alter a Boggart that is specifically designed for one person, if you are indeed that one person. You might want to take note of that."  
  
Only Harry, Seamus and Dean were worried about Ron. Even Hermione had the look on her face that said she thought that was justified.  
  
/Gryffindors : 1, Slytherins plus Hufflepuff : 1. Looking good so far. Just don't over do it. Only retaliate, don't initiate./ Draco exhaled a stream of smoke as Aragog pounced. Ron screamed and bolted out of the room, leaving all his things behind.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 19  
  
Because of his response to the quill incident, Dumbledore had stopped Draco for a little chat during the weekend, in which the headmaster had asked Draco to be a little more professional and Draco had replied by telling the old man to go fuck himself, stalking off and ignoring the frown that was sent after him.  
  
But it had meant he searched Harry out. That conversation had not gone well.  
  
"Mister Potter? May I have a word with you? There are things we need to discuss."  
  
Harry looked over from where he and his friends were sitting. "I can't think of anything we have to talk about. Go away, I'm busy pretending you're dead."  
  
"If I recall correctly, you have only yourself to blame for my state of being alive right now."  
  
"More the fool me, fuck off."  
  
Draco had pushed his anger down, not wanting to set anything alight and waved his hand, making it so when he walked off, Harry was suddenly dragged along the ground after him. He also made sure that the other Gryffindors couldn't follow.  
  
"Let go of me!" Harry struggled. "Stop it!"  
  
Draco decided they were out of the hearing range of everyone anyway had drew Harry into a standing position with the click of his fingers. "Don't you think you're being rather silly?"  
  
Harry sneered. "This from a guy who just dragged me around the ground."  
  
Draco gave a bleak smile. /Keep it together. Focus on objective./ "I think we should stop this silly little battle that seems to be going on."  
  
Harry held his head up stubbornly. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Draco sighed. "Oh come on, Harry. Why are you doing this? I can understand you'd be pissed off, but I thought you were a little more mature than enchanting quills and calling people whore's in public."  
  
"I can do whatever I like."  
  
Draco noticed that Harry hadn't really put any strength behind the words. In fact the Gryffindor looked very tired and worn out. Draco had taken to not looking at the other boy too hard, so that it didn't hurt as much, but even he could see that something was wrong. "Have you been eating properly?"  
  
The boy's eyes flashed with anger. "None of your fucking business." He growled out.  
  
Draco frowned as Harry's eyes clouded with mixed emotions. he reached his hand out to try and fully understand but Harry moved out of the way. "Don't touch me, whore."  
  
The blonde sighed again. "I just did what I had to do."  
  
Harry scoffed. "Yeah, right. Aren't you such the victim. Poor little rape victim."  
  
"No." Draco shook his head. "Not even I can justify it to rape. I started most of those anyway. But I just did what I had to, plain and simple."  
  
Harry didn't say anything.  
  
"But you're right." Draco ran a hand through his hair. "I whored myself for the good of the cause. I'm not proud of what I did, but it did bring around a good ending." He looked away. "Somewhat, in any case."  
  
"How touching." harry drawled sarcastically.  
  
"Look, fine. You're pissed off with me because of what I did to you, fair enough. And I'm really sorry that you got hurt. But this fighting thing isn't going to solve or prove anything."  
  
"And what makes you so damn sure I got hurt by anything you did?"  
  
"What? Aside from the fact you're now out for my blood? How about the fact that you loved me?"  
  
"You said it wasn't ....... "  
  
"I lied." Draco cut in. "I lied about many things. I didn't really have a choice. It was either lie and make you hate me, or tell the truth and probably get us both killed. Which would you have preferred?"  
  
"All right fine. I loved who I thought you were." Harry looked to him and sneered again. "But I could never love this." He motioned to Draco. "I couldn't ever even *like* the real you."  
  
Draco ignored it. "Let's just call an end to this fighting thing."  
  
"No thanks. I'm having too much fun."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "It's your choice. You're being very petty, so think about it for awhile and get back to me on it." He turned away before he said too much and walked off, lifting the spells he had cast.  
  
"I'll show you petty!" Harry yelled after him.  
  
/You just did./  
  
----------  
  
The first thing Draco noticed when he walked in to give another lesson to the seventh years, was the drawing on the blackboard. He walked over to it silently.  
  
"I'm sorry Draco." he looked at Neville briefly before turning his eyes back to the board. "I tried to rub it out but it won't come off."  
  
"That's all right Neville. It doesn't matter." He said quietly.  
  
The drawing was obviously enchanted as it moved and it showed Draco, on his knees in front of Voldemort, doing something that the blonde was trying to forget about. With the words 'Professor Malfoy can teach you many things.' at the bottom for a caption.  
  
/How unoriginal. Honestly, is the whore aspect the only thing he has to work on./ He turned and looked at Harry. "I take it this means you've decided that you don't want to stop all this nonsense?"  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. A look he had actually stolen from Draco.  
  
The blonde crossed his arms. "So be it. You want your little war games? I can help you along. Here." He slapped his hand into the board hard. "How's this for you, Mister Potter?" He hissed. "Appropriate come back?"  
  
The drawing changed. The Draco image transformed into the image of a young man with black hair and glasses. He was standing in front the Voldemort image and it raised it's hand, green chalk suddenly appearing. Going from his wand to the man.  
  
A perfect chalk representation of James Potter dying. Complete with scream that made every single student jump. Draco looped it so that it would begin again, repeating endlessly. The words 'James Potter died for a petty cause.' appeared under it.  
  
"Please open to chapter eleven. The Boggart had a very tiring day with the third years yesterday and it needs it's rest, so we will be working from the text." Draco said, as if a re-enacted murder wasn't playing behind him.  
  
Harry leapt across his table and wrapped his right hand around Draco's throat. "Stop playing that right now!" He yelled.  
  
Draco was overwhelmed by the emotion that was surging through the skin of his throat. Hate, disgust, anger, so many negative emotions. He did a thorough scan while he had the chance and found what he had feared.  
  
Harry didn't have one single good emotion towards him. Not even tolerance. Even Draco knew it didn't matter how angry the boy was at the moment. The simple fact was, Harry hated him completely. No love, no kindness, nothing of any sort of positive feeling. He blinked slowly as it slowly sunk in.  
  
/He truly hates me./  
  
He slowly pulled the hand away from his throat. "Please sit down, Mister Potter." /Thank god I can control my voice./ "I'm merely playing by your rules. I'm sorry if you can't handle it." /I guess it's not surprising. I can't really say that I blame him./  
  
But it did hurt. And quite a lot. Draco felt as if he was fading away. As if he was losing all hope. /It's been awhile since I did that. I wonder if Sev can save me this time? It never hurt like this before./  
  
"Sit down, Mister Potter." He repeated.  
  
Harry returned to his seat, his eyes still blazing. Draco closed his own eyes and repeated his old trick of sending those flowers to the Gryffindor's bed. He recited to himself, in order to stay calm. /Daffodils have been said to mean hope. I'll give him all I've got left./ He kept his eyes shut as they started to land on the bed. /They've also been known to mean unrequited love. How fitting. They used to be my mother's favourite./  
  
Draco opened his eyes. He hadn't thought about his mother in quite awhile. He preferred not to. He pushed it all away, his mother, his father, Harry, everything and resumed the lesson.  
  
The relative silence was only interrupted by the reproduction of James Potter's final scream.  
  
----------  
  
Draco had been wandering the halls after dinner and had headed up to the Old Astronomy Tower to look at the view, and keep his mind off of some things. He sat on the edge and looked down at the grounds. /Still a prisoner here. I wish the Ministry would stop being such dickheads. Maybe I should contact William?/ Draco stopped swinging his legs and thought hard about it. /Actually, that's not a bad idea. Get him in and the Ministry would back peddle very quickly./  
  
William was a man Draco had befriended on a trip to Germany that Sev had taken him on, one summer. A summer before Voldemort, when Lucius didn't really much care if he wasn't at home. William, like Charlie, raised dragons, but had a tendency to bring them on his travels. They were never restrained as the aged man had dragon blood in his veins and could control them well, providing he got them young enough.  
  
Seeing as Draco could also communicate with them, the two had gotten on well, and saw each other whenever Draco had time to visit. Which had been lacking of late.  
  
But there was also one other thing. William also had the tendency to get his dragons to persuade people into doing what he wanted them to do. Very few witches or wizards would argue when they had a dragon in their face.  
  
Draco smirked and made a mental note to contact the old man. /He can be *very* convincing when he wants to be. And I'm sure he would have heard some details by now. The man's not that much of a hermit./  
  
Pleased with himself over his plan, Draco was just about to get up and leave when he saw something in the dying light of the day. It was Harry, Seamus, Ron and Dean. But they were being approached by some very angry people. Namely, Hermione, Blaise, Justin, Neville, Ginny, Astra and Colin.  
  
It looked very interesting so Draco stayed where he was and cast a charm so he could see and hear what was going on.  
  
"You're being very stupid. All this rubbish with Draco! It ends right now." Hermione said hotly.  
  
"No." Harry said calmly. "It doesn't. I have to do this and moreover, I *want* to do this. If you don't want to help, fine. But stay out of it."  
  
Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Ron?"  
  
"I'm just helping out a friend." Ron said, though he did look a little uncomfortable.  
  
"Well, you can choose now. Be an arsehole and help Harry to be childish. Or stay with me."  
  
"Are you giving me an ultimatum?" Ron asked incredulously.  
  
"You're damn right I am, Ron Weasley! And just wait until your mother hears about this. Won't she be happy? You, her youngest son, condemning the man who kept her alive for all those months that she was a prisoner. And all because Harry won't grow up and realise the obvious!"  
  
Ron paled and he looked down at the ground, trying to decide. Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Well? I'm waiting? Are you going to end this silly nonsense or end it with me?"  
  
Harry was also looking uncomfortable. "Ron, just go with her. I don't want to cause trouble between the two of you." He said sincerely.  
  
"But Harry, I want to make Malfoy pay just as much as you do. It's not fair, what he's done."  
  
"Oh really." Ginny spoke this time as the rest remained quiet. "And what is it he's done? Oh yeah, I remember. He saved our mother! He saved your godfather! Hell he saved pretty much everyone who deserved to be saved! He brought down Voldemort, he bailed us out when we were captured, he ..... "  
  
"Yeah? Well what about what he did to Harry?" Ron yelled back.  
  
Seamus and Dean spoke together. "What did he do to Harry?"  
  
"Never mind." Harry said hurriedly.  
  
/Still haven't told them huh?/ Draco smirked.  
  
"What the hell do you mean, about what he did to Harry?" Blaise decided his turn had come.  
  
"You know." Harry ground out. "I'm sure he told you."  
  
"What? How he saved your life? Or do you mean the *other* thing. The one you obviously haven't told these two idiots." Blaise gestured to Seamus and Dean, who were still looking confused.  
  
/Atta boy Blaise. Hit him where it hurts. Wait. What? Whose side am I on exactly?/ Draco rubbed his throat, remembering clearly, how awful it had been to feel the emotions that Harry felt for him now. /I guess there's not much point looking out for him anymore. It would just be a wasted effort./  
  
It didn't make him feel any better but he turned his attention back to the argument.  
  
"Harry." Neville said, trying to get his friends to understand. "The day after Christmas, for the first time in my entire life, I got to sit down and have a conversation with my parents. They recognised me. They even knew my name! I don't care if he had to sleep with Satan himself in order to do that, he's still a hero in my books."  
  
Draco cringed at the word hero. /Not quite, but thanks anyway./  
  
"Neville. I'm thrilled about your parents, I really am, but it doesn't change the fact that I hate him. I can't tell you why, but I just do."  
  
/I just wished him hating me meant I could hate him. Why can't the world work that way. Why does it have to be so bloodthirsty?/ Memories of a better time crept into his mind. Draco shook his head making them slink back into the recesses of his mind and returned to watching the spectacle.  
  
The two groups were just yelling at each other now, and no-one could understand anyone. Until Justin pointed his wand at the space between them and used a spell Draco had taught him. The fireball shut everyone up and they all looked to the Hufflepuff.  
  
"Harry. Just listen to me, okay? I don't understand why you're *this* mad at him but let me just tell you *all* something." He said softly. "I don't know what Draco had to do in order to make it that he was the only one allowed to touch Blaise and myself. And quite frankly, I don't *want* to know. But whatever it was, it worked. He *was* the only one allowed to touch us. And more to the point he never did."  
  
Harry snorted in disbelief that made Draco tilt his head in confusion, but Justin continued on. "He *never* did. Not even when we offered. He looked after us, he kept us safe. Something he's done for all of us, in one way or another. He deserves our gratitude and respect if nothing else." The Hufflepuff, having said his piece, turned and walked away, leaving them all quiet.  
  
The small group of Draco supporters, seeing that they had said pretty much all they could, walked away from the four Gryffindors. Hermione tugged something out of her pocket and tossed it to Ron. "I suppose you should have this back. If you ever come to your senses, give me a call." She said sadly.  
  
"Hermione?" Ron called.  
  
She didn't even look back at her boyfriend. Draco felt guilty. He knew she loved her pigheaded redhead and he didn't like the fact she was walking away from it all, just because of him.  
  
/I'll talk to her, and straighten it all out. I don't see why anyone else's relationships have to suffer because of me. It's bad enough I fucked mine up so much./  
  
The four Gryffindor boys had followed after the other group and Draco turned off the charms. He looked up to the sky where the stars were starting to come out.  
  
/I can do anything in the world. Except work out how to be happy./  
  
He sighed and started to head down, deciding to sleep in Sev's bed again so he could actually sleep without dreaming anything too bad.  
  
/Maybe I don't deserve to be happy? Maybe whores aren't allowed to be?/  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 20  
  
"The rumour around the school is you and some Gryffindors seem to be having a dispute with each other."  
  
"Really?" Draco didn't look up while he washed the octopus blood off his hands. "How fascinating."  
  
"Dumbledore wishes to speak to you about it." Sev said, as he walked around the workroom, checking that all the ingredients had been put back in their right place.  
  
"I'm afraid there's not much I can say to him about it." Draco turned the tap off and dried his hands on the towel. "Tell him he should speak to Harry. If such a thing was going on, I'm sure that boy would know why it began."  
  
"Was that you're way of saying 'He started it', Draco? I expected better." Sev gave the young boy a smile.  
  
Draco shrugged, smiling slightly himself. "So sue me. Anyway, this will be good for me. It gives me something to do." He began manually tidying up where he had been working. "I can plan and plot to my heart's content. Action and counteraction , all that stuff that I've proven myself to be so good at. It'll keep me busy."  
  
"I thought you were going to give all that sort of thing up when the war was over?"  
  
"So did I." /But things never work out the way you plan. I think everyone noticed that./ Draco stared at the wall for a second before he shook himself. "But it's not truly over away. There's always Lucius. He's still at large."  
  
"Indeed. There were a few reports of him being in Brazil."  
  
Draco scoffed. "Well, if that's true, he won't stay there forever. He'll be back." He shot a worried look of to the older man. "So be careful. No silly stuff."  
  
"Wouldn't dream of it." Was the sarcastic reply.  
  
"Don't take that tone of voice with me, Sev." Draco said patronisingly and received a hand cloth thrown into his face. "Seriously though, don't do anything stupid."  
  
"If I recall correctly, that was your department. *I* was sorted into Slytherin, we plan, not rush blindly in."  
  
"Hey! I planned before I rushed in, mostly." Draco stuck his tongue out childishly. "I did what I judged was best at the time. I've spent the majority of my life planning one thing or another."  
  
"You don't have to anymore."  
  
"Oh yes I do. If those Gryffindors think I'm just going to sit back and let them do whatever they want, I'll show them just how wrong they are. I'm sick and tired of sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I've got something to keep me motivated now."  
  
"What? Destroying Gryffindors?"  
  
"Exactly." Draco gave a playful smile as he hopped up to sit on the workbench. "Isn't that what Slytherins are supposed to do?"  
  
Sev mimicked thinking about it for a few moments. "Well, partially. But we actually do other things, also."  
  
"What? Destroying Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs as well?"  
  
Sev snickered. "Which reminds me, how is your Hufflepuff dealing with all this? Surely his loyalties are divided. He was once involved with Harry, wasn't he?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "He seems to have placed all the loyalties and trust on to me and his boyfriend. I guess he prioritised at some point."  
  
Sev pretended to shake his head sadly. "A Slytherin and a Hufflepuff in love. Our house will never live it down."  
  
Draco grinned. "Yeah well, war does funny things to your head. As does learning how to shield your thoughts in a four hour crash course. He coped with that really well at the time. He'd been abducted, marked and made into a slave in the course of an hour. He had to place his trust somewhere and we were the only two available."  
  
"And then it just stuck, hey?"  
  
"Pretty much. I'm off to see Selena." Draco slid off the workbench and headed for the door. "And then I have some business in the Forest." Draco didn't need to remind Sev what day it was.  
  
"Very well. Be careful. And do try and talk to Dumbledore in a civil manner if you run into him."  
  
Draco's smile melted into a frown. "He can go to hell, for all I care."  
  
Sev sighed. "You should let it go, Draco."  
  
"Have *you*? Or better yet, *can* you?" Draco didn't get an answer so he quietly shut the door behind himself and started upwards, towards the main doors.  
  
/Civil? To Dumbledore? After everything he's done? I don't do charity cases. If he can do that, he can live with the consequences. Everyone has to do that, why not him? He's just bloody lucky I haven't been telling people what he's really like. I'm sure Harry would be so thrilled to know what really happened./  
  
Draco arrived at the stables that had been freshened up for it's sole occupant. Selena snorted happily when she recognised her visitor and nudged him as he gently rubbed her neck.  
  
"Hey there Sel, *you* love me don't you?" She snorted again and he smiled. "I'm actually feeling pretty good today. I've decided to chuck out the whole 'Oh woe is me' thing. It was even starting to get on *my* nerves. But enough about me, how have you been? Want to go for a ride, it's a lovely cool night."  
  
Selena stretched out her wings and fluttered them briefly, meaning yes. He hoisted himself on to her back and she soared out the door and then straight up. Once she reached a fairly high level she just starting to glide mostly, in a circular pattern, allowing Draco to see the whole of Hogwarts' outside.  
  
He smiled grimly at the Gryffindor Tower, noticing that there was faint light coming from Harry's dorm. /Midnight snacks? Or possibly drawing up battle plans?/ He decided not to go investigate.  
  
Instead, he headed her out over the forest, still technically a part of Hogwarts so Fudge couldn't get him for that. Searching the ground he found the clearing he was looking for and nudged Selena down to land.  
  
"Hello, little brother."  
  
Draco smiled a little and slid off Selena's back. "Good evening Firenze. I have come to pay my respects to Alaric."  
  
The Centaur left the group of his relations and walked over, bowing his head in proper greeting. "He shall be most pleased to see you. The stars speak of trouble to come for you."  
  
Draco sighed. "I'd like to say that I'm surprised, but I just can't be bothered to waste the energy of pretending. The stars never seem to have anything nice to say about me. Why can't they ever tell me that I'm going to win the lottery?"  
  
Firenze patted Selena gently as the blonde spoke. "I thought you already had human money?"  
  
Draco smirked. "I do. I have more money than I could possibly ever spend. It was just an example of something good that could happen instead of the same old 'trouble'."  
  
Firenze quietly led Draco to the entrance of Alaric's cave as Selena was left to meet the other Centaurs. Draco knew she would be fine with them being near her, as they were more her kind than humans.  
  
He could walk through the maze of caves unassisted, but Firenze went with him anyway, to announce his arrival. They eventually reached the entrance to the main cavern and Draco waited patiently.  
  
"Father. Someone has called to pay his respects."  
  
"Very well." Came a softer, slower voice.  
  
Draco walked in and bowed his head politely. "Good evening to you, Alaric. I have come to celebrate this night. Another phase has welcomed you." Draco said as Firenze took his leave.  
  
"Ah, Draco. The stars have whispered to me of you. It seems you are in uncertain times still." The ageing Centaur King held out his hand and Draco took it, allowing himself to be brought closer. Alaric was very old by now and his eyesight did not allow him to think any differently. "We are still praising the good fortune of your recovery."  
  
"Thank you, my King." Draco took the space to the King's left and made himself comfortable on the ground. "And how has this phase found you?"  
  
"Ah, Draco. You are not as ignorant as you sound. You know that I am nearing my own end and that soon I shall leave to reunited with the stars. I have very few phases left, if any."  
  
"Do the stars not tell you how many?" Draco absently picked up a hand- crafted brush and began to stroke the long, grey beard, untangling some small knots.  
  
"I regret to say that I fear to ask them."  
  
Draco smiled slightly. "So even the mighty Warrior King of the Centaurs can fear death? How reassuring."  
  
"I only fear that I have not done as much as I could. That I shall leave this world without fulfilling my purpose."  
  
"Do not fear such things, Alaric. I am sure the stars will be highly pleased with all that you have done for them. There a few others who can claim to have helped as greatly you have. After all, it was you who convinced the Centaurs of the world to stand against Voldemort, when it would have been safer for you to fight with him. Even if that did only last for awhile before your people took to the underground."  
  
"Yes, we felt we could no longer help. But we did not change sides, we only left the battle."  
  
"Do not feel you have to explain yourself to me. It was Human business and you did not have to partake to begin with. It was my fault you even considered it. I should never have asked."  
  
"You needed our help, little one, so we do not blame you for asking. You did not start the trouble, you were only trying to end it."  
  
They sat in silence, Draco brushing the King's beard and the King sifting through his collection of beads. He held one up and offered it to the young boy who took it without a word.  
  
"Tell me Draco, what of you heart?"  
  
Draco studied the bead in his left hand as his right continued to brush. "It is in pain, but it is happy." The boy said quietly. The bead started to glow. "For Harry continues to live, yet he is no longer mine to lay claim to."  
  
"Perhaps all is not as hopeless as you think?"  
  
Draco smiled sadly. "I wish I could believe that, but I have felt it. He touched me and that experience was not something I would like to undergo again. He believes the one he fell in love with was purely a pretence. Though I must admit, I am not truly as I may have portrayed myself."  
  
"So sure of his touch are you?"  
  
"It was very clear how he felt about me." The bead seemed to be sucked into his skin and he watch the small lump move up his arm. It was slightly discomforting but not exactly painful. He was used to this anyway.  
  
"So you think that fighting with him will solve your problems?"  
  
"It will give me something to focus on. After all this time that I have spent, I hardly know what to do if I do not have some goal."  
  
"So you made your goal to hurt him?"  
  
"I have already hurt him. More than I could possibly apologise for. I should have left the second I felt him start to fall but I didn't."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Draco started to feel light headed as the bead, still under his skin, made it's way up his neck. "I was selfish. I wanted him to love me. I ignored all logic and reason when they told me that I would only end up hurting him. I kept saying to myself that it was all Voldemort's fault, but I was lying. I was arrogant, selfish and I ignored everything that told me I was doing wrong. I just wanted him to love me."  
  
"Do you regret it?"  
  
"I regret many things. I regret loving him. I regret him loving me. I regret leaving and not listening to Sev. I regret thinking that we loved each other to fix whatever I did. I regret hurting him. I regret hurting me. I regret many things."  
  
"If you could change it, would you?"  
  
Draco winced. "No. Because I don't know what would happen it I change how it took it's course. I would hurt him again."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I love him."  
  
"You don't always have to hurt the ones that you love."  
  
The blonde sighed. "If he hadn't loved me, I would have given up." Draco finally stopped brushing the beard. "Sometimes that was the only thing that kept me going. Even when the knowledge of my impending death couldn't get me to do what I had to, I just thought of him. I owed it to him. I had to make things right."  
  
"This fighting business will only hurt the both of you."  
  
"It's what he wants. And for once, I'm actually going to do what he wants me to. He wants me to fight back, I will. I have to stop thinking of myself."  
  
"There may still be hope."  
  
Draco gave a cold laugh. "I have definitely given up on that. For this situation at least. Sometimes I just wish Sev hadn't touched me that night. I just wish that I had died there, bleeding on the dungeon floor. Ended this all." He threw the brush angrily and it bounced off of the wall. "I'm not going to sit around feeling sorry for myself. I can survive without him. I might not enjoy it, but I can. He hates me and I'll just live with that."  
  
"Hmm, we shall see."  
  
They returned to silence.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 21  
  
Draco was instantly on his guard the next time he walked into his seventh year class. The Gryffindors that were out to get him, looked awfully smug.  
  
"Hello, professor." Harry barely said it civilly, but he gave a smirk anyway. "We thought you could help us with our problems."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Did you Mister Potter? Very well, let's here it." /Anything you can do I can do better ...... dear god, grow up Draco./  
  
"We thought you could show us how to properly face down fear. So we set up the Boggart to answer only to you."  
  
"How unoriginal."  
  
Harry's eyes flashed. "How so?"  
  
"Mister Potter, in this silly little game of ours you have chosen to do something I have already demonstrated, for a class, no less. All you did was take the original idea and turn it to me. That is what I call unoriginal." /And really boring./ He ignored the look he was receiving. "But I shall go along with it, if you so wish." /Brace yourself./ "I suppose you think I won't do it? Well, far be it from me to disappoint my students."  
  
He waved his hand and the cupboard that was holding the Boggart unlocked and the door swung open. An almost exact copy of Draco stepped out of the cupboard and the original Draco rolled his eyes. The only differences were that the copy wasn't wearing a shirt and the black hair image was making a come back. It also had black patches that moved around on it's skin, like ink stains that were alive.  
  
"I really hate myself sometimes." The real Draco said, clearly annoyed. His students looked from one to the other.  
  
"That's why I'm here." The copy replied cheerfully and walked closer, until they were face to face. "Hello Draco."  
  
His heart was beating fast but he kept his breathing controlled. "Hello Not- Draco. How have you been?" The blonde answered evenly. /I can beat this. It's not too bad. It could have been so much worse./  
  
"Do I scare you?"  
  
"Not particularly."  
  
"I must. After all, it's like I said, that's why I'm here."  
  
"No, you're here because you're what I'm afraid of the most. That doesn't mean that you terrify me, you just won over the lesser fears. And you yourself are not even the thing I most fear. The greatest fear I had was for them to see you." The real Draco gestured to the students who were watching quietly.  
  
"And yet I'm still here. Surely if you had gotten over that fear, I would change to the next selection."  
  
"Give me a moment, these things don't happen all at once. I'll get you down to the next one soon."  
  
"Very few people can completely overcome their fears." The black haired Draco started to circle him as the blonde turned to face the class.  
  
"You don't have to completely overcome it, just control it. And very few people can think rationally when faced with their greatest fears." The real one stated as the other prowled around.  
  
"Can you?"  
  
"I seem to be managing."  
  
"Or maybe this is that spectacular acting that you always do?"  
  
"I only do that when it's necessary."  
  
"And how's that working out for you?"  
  
"I'm alive aren't I?" Draco was calmly working through all of this, knowing he could beat his own fear at this game.  
  
"Only just. And you weren't for a little while, or had you forgotten?"  
  
Draco added sarcasm into the little chat. "Hm, could I have possibly forgotten that I died? After all, it happened so long ago."  
  
"You're not being very nice to yourself."  
  
"I'll get over it."  
  
"You're losing, Draco."  
  
The real Draco smiled slowly. "Oh, no I'm not." He closed his eyes and whispered in his head. /They've already seen it, it doesn't matter now. Most of them won't even realise what it means. I'm not afraid of my own reflection./  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
He opened his eyes and his smile widened. "You don't control me." He said softly. The image flickered. "You're not even real." The image flickered and changed.  
  
Into Severus. Draco frowned for a second before he realised what it would mean. /No, I thought I beat this one? It's stupid. It's irrational. Most fears are. Shut up, you're not helping./  
  
"Well, well, well. Malfoy." The Severus copy hissed out.  
  
Draco took a step back, shaking his head. "You're not real."  
  
"You keeping telling yourself that, if you like. I don't care."  
  
Draco closed his eyes as his heart went even faster. "You're not real."  
  
"You never could block me, could you? Anything that reminded you of me, was cherished beyond belief. Because you have this nasty habit of being sentimental at times."  
  
"You're NOT real."  
  
"Pathetic little whore." It moved to stand at Draco's left.  
  
Draco's eyes opened. Even though it hurt, it made it seem a little less real. Deep in his mind he knew Severus would never call him that. No matter what. "Fuck you." He spat back.  
  
"Let me show you how much you disgust me." The copy stretched his hand out and Draco was too stubborn to move.  
  
Feelings of disgust and hate started on his left arm where the Boggart had grabbed him and it was slowly weakening Draco's resolve. He closed his eyes and focused. It was almost there, the feelings kept making him lose concentration. /Fuck. I'm going to lose. In front of the Gryffindors too. Well, this day wasn't worth getting up for./  
  
His eyes flew open as he sucked in a large amount of air as an even stronger emotion started on his right arm. The real Severus had turned up and had grabbed his other arm.  
  
"Let's see which one can win, shall we?" The real Severus smirked as he spoke.  
  
Draco smiled back and left his left arm being pulled. He looked back but wasn't concerned anymore, the only thing he could focus on were the feelings his real Severus was showing him.  
  
The image flickered as the Boggart started to whine. It twitched. Draco tilted his head and watched quietly. The Boggart twitched again and then exploded, causing Draco and Severus to take a step back out of pure surprise.  
  
"Well, how interesting." Severus handed something over. "This needs your signature, apparently."  
  
Draco read it quietly and picked up a quill, signing his name with a sigh. The Ministry were asking for his authorisation to check Malfoy Castle for any of Voldemort's possessions. He handed it back when he was done.  
  
"Good day, Draco."  
  
"Bye, Sev." He turned back to his class. "Now, can anyone tell me why the Boggart self-destructed when the real Professor Snape was here?"  
  
Neville raised his hand and then answered slowly when Draco smiled, the sign for him to go on. "Er, because for some reason whenever Professor Snape touches you, you're not afraid of anything?"  
  
Draco's smile widened. "Well done, Neville. Ten points to Gryffindor." The smile disappeared for a look of shock. "I can't believe I just said that." A few students snickered and Draco's expression became even more horrified. "Oh god, I can't believe that it *counts*. I feel so unclean."  
  
----------  
  
Draco couldn't sleep again so he was wandering the halls in search of Peeves. He always enjoyed tormenting the poltergeist. Unfortunately, Peeves had the uncanny ability to sense Draco even when the blonde was invisible and stayed the hell away from him. He'd obviously learnt something from the sword incident in fifth year.  
  
As he found scanning the castle being a lot like cheating therefore not as fun or as challenging, Draco didn't find the spook but he did hear something coming from the Old Astronomy tower. It sounded like music so he headed up, just to be nosy.  
  
The music had stopped but another song started up soon afterwards. Draco arrived and looked around, at first not seeing anything. Then he recognised the tune. He knew it very well.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.  
  
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Draco's eyes came to rest on Blaise, trying to teach Justin to dance. He put his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh and slowly started for the exit.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you.  
  
And I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"What the fuck is going on?"  
  
Draco spun around to find Harry, holding that damn cloak, standing at the exit. Blaise and Justin had frozen in place as they stared at him.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
No, I don't wanna fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
  
No, I don't wanna fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Harry pointed his hand at the stereo and it burst into flames.  
  
"Hey! That wasn't ours!"  
  
/No, it was mine. Oh well, I can afford another one. I see that Harry must be taking some extra tutoring from Dumbledore. Odd how the insufferable old coot never mentioned it./ He sneered silently and kept very still.  
  
"I don't care who the fuck owned it." Harry looked furious.  
  
"Why don't you just fuck off, Potter." Blaise moved to stand in front of the Gryffindor. "I don't think anyone here is in need of your presence."  
  
"Don't ever play that fucking song again. If I hear it, I'll hex you to hell."  
  
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Oh, poor old Harry. All upset about his stupid birthday song. Life is so cruel."  
  
"Grow up, dickhead. If you really ........ What did you call it?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You called it my birthday song. How the fuck did you know that?" Harry looked to Justin who was looking rather blank.  
  
Draco silently cursed and moved to stand behind Blaise. "Idiot." He whispered gently.  
  
Blaise looked to where he stood and Justin looked around warily at the noise but Harry had missed it.  
  
"Justin? Did you tell him about this song?"  
  
Justin frowned. "Er, no. I actually hadn't heard it until tonight."  
  
"But, didn't you send me it for a birthday present?"  
  
"Um, no."  
  
Harry looked lost for a second. "But then ...... who did?"  
  
Justin shrugged.  
  
"Bail me, Blaise." Draco hissed.  
  
"Er, I sent it!" The taller Slytherin stepped forwards. "I sent you those things."  
  
"You did?" Harry asked looking even more confused. "Why?"  
  
"Um, I fancied you."  
  
"You did?" Justin tilted his head.  
  
"Um, yeah. So, I sent all that stuff. I kept meaning to apologise for harassing you, but then we started the battle between Gryffindor and Slytherin, so .... yeah. Sorry. Um, we gotta go, come on Jus."  
  
"Whoa, hold on. Dobby told me that Justin left the second one for me."  
  
Blaise was slipping into character by now and knew how it handle the situation as Draco hovered in the background. "No. What most likely happened was that Dobby told you someone who *looked* like Justin left it. I used Polyjuice."  
  
"But that means you would have had to left it *after* Justin was kidnapped. Dobby told me ..... "  
  
"I paid him to lie!"  
  
Draco snickered softly. Dobby had actually been paid to lie, much to the elf's displeasure, the blonde had tricked him into it. Justin smacked him, indicating he was being too noisy.  
  
"Dobby wouldn't lie to me."  
  
"He would if he thought he was being well paid for a service." Blaise answered smoothly.  
  
Dobby had only been able to hold up his word, because it was Draco. The house-elf had always had a soft spot for the blonde, even more than the one for Harry. Draco placed his hands on Blaise's shoulders and squeezed gently, trying to convey that he was doing fine.  
  
"I don't believe you." Harry crossed his arms. "You were with Voldemort and all them when those things were sent to me. Why would you risk such a thing just because you thought I was cute?"  
  
Blaise 'um'ed and 'er'ed for a few minutes before he just shrugged. "I don't know, but I did send them, you can check the handwriting if you like."  
  
"You're lying." Harry turned and headed for the exit. "I'm going to do everything single thing that I can to find out who sent me those things. Though I think I have a fair idea." Harry smiled slightly.  
  
Draco dug his nails into Blaise's shoulders, making the boy yelp slightly. "Stop him. God knows what he'd do to me." He hissed.  
  
Blaise cleared his throat and spoke loudly. "Words shan't achieve for me as I would have them to. My voice will always die at your caress. Even pen will not convey my thoughts adequately. How can the mute ever hope to express." Blaise gave a tiny, tentative smile. "Um, I could go on if you wish? I know the whole thing."  
  
Draco wasn't surprised at that. He'd made Blaise write it fourteen times until he was happy with the neatness and spelling. /I really plan too much./  
  
Harry had turned and looked at him in disbelief as Blaise had repeated the first few sentences that Draco had written while in a very depressed mood. The Gryffindor opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound had come out. He took a deep breath. "Fine." It was a little shaky but pretty good. "I trust you won't be sending anything more?"  
  
"No. I won't."  
  
"And no more fucking flowers!" Harry stormed back downstairs as Draco let out the breath he had been holding.  
  
He made himself visible and looked to the other two. "Thanks Blaise."  
  
"Yeah sure. No problem."  
  
Draco went to leave before Justin called him back.  
  
"Er, what flowers?"  
  
Draco just smiled softly. "Never mind."  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 22  
  
Draco was sitting between McGonagall and Severus for dinner. The Gryffindor Group were up to something and Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Colin were sitting with Blaise and Justin at the Slytherin table. Things were definitely not going good.  
  
Especially when the words 'Whoring Murderer' appeared in blood on the doors where everyone could see it. Draco took a sip of his drink and then looked to the Gryffindor table, motioning for his friends to sit down, as they had leapt to their feet to defend him.  
  
"Don't you have anything better to attack me with, Mister Potter?" He said in his best bored tone. "The whore thing is getting old, and I've never killed anyone."  
  
Harry stood up. "I don't know what you're talking about, professor? I had nothing to do with this." He smiled sweetly.  
  
"Don't play the innocent act with me, I don't buy it for a second."  
  
"I'm not acting."  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
"Such language is unnecessary." Harry said, condescendingly.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mister Potter. Did I offend your delicate sensibilities? That wasn't my intention."  
  
"No worries. Something as detestable as you certainly couldn't say anything to offend or upset me." Though his voice had taken a slight edge to it. "I wouldn't give you the satisfaction."  
  
Draco smiled bitterly. "I'll have to remember that, *Honey*." Draco waited for the explosion.  
  
Harry head shot up and he glared. "Fuck you!" It echoed in the now silent hall.  
  
"Children, children, please."  
  
"Shut the fuck up for once, Dumbledore. And don't you *dare* give me that look." Draco rose to his own feet. "What's the matter, Harry? You seem all to happy to help circulate all the rumours about me and Voldemort. Don't want the entire school to know that it used to be you and me?"  
  
"SHUT UP!"  
  
"NO! I see no problem with the students knowing that I've fucked you and that you returned the favour quite happily!"  
  
"YOU LYING SLUT!"  
  
"Oh please! That's the best you can do? Say that I'm lying?"  
  
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore stood up as most of the students sat there, dumbfounded. "This is not the time, nor is it the place."  
  
"Thank you, Dumbledore." Harry sat down.  
  
"Oh, come off it! Stop treating him as if he's some sort of saint."  
  
"Draco ....... "  
  
"Don't Draco me, headmaster. I thought I made it very clear? I don't talk to you, you don't talk to me!"  
  
"Leave him alone!" Harry was on his feet again.  
  
Draco let out a laugh. "Don't you stick up for him! He doesn't deserve it!"  
  
"He's a wonderful man. You should be fucking honoured that he lets you stay here after everything that's happened!"  
  
"I don't owe him anything! And neither do you!"  
  
"That's not true!"  
  
"Fuck that!"  
  
"Draco, I'm warning you." Dumbledore said, looking angry.  
  
"No! Fuck you, old man. You know it's not true."  
  
"If it wasn't for him, I'd still be with the Dursleys'!"  
  
"BULLSHIT! If it wasn't for him, you're parents would still be alive!" /I really shouldn't have said that. I hate it when Harry gives me that look. Like I've kicked him or something./  
  
The hall was very silent as Harry did his goldfish impersonation. Dumbledore had sat back down heavily. Harry started walking forwards, looking murderous. "How dare you!"  
  
"Sit down, Draco." Severus said gently and Draco obeyed without question.  
  
Harry was still advancing though. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"  
  
"Leave it, Harry." Draco said softly.  
  
"I don't fucking think so! I'm going to kill you!"  
  
A fork levitated and headed for him as Harry reached the table. Draco batted it away without touching it and it slammed into the far wall. "Harry, just stop it."  
  
"You arrogant, disgusting, manipulative .... "  
  
"ME? You think I'm manipulative? I'll .... "  
  
"Draco." Severus caught his arm. "Harry. Now is *not* the time as Dumbledore said. Perhaps we should wait for this to continue elsewhere."  
  
"Fuck that." Harry growled out.  
  
"Draco, knock him out. It's the only way."  
  
"Somnus." Draco muttered as he pointed his palm at the boy. Harry's eyes closed obediently and he slumped forward on to the table.  
  
Severus stood. "Shall we?" He picked up Harry and carried him out as Draco and Dumbledore followed.  
  
----------  
  
"Enervate." Draco watched as eyelids moved and green eyes stared back at him.  
  
Harry leapt off the floor of Dumbledore's office. "You bastard! How dare you say that it's Dumbledore's fault?"  
  
"You just don't even stop to breathe do you?" Draco stared at his feet. "I'm sorry, Sev. I didn't mean to mention it."  
  
"That's all right."  
  
"To hell with that! It's Dumbledore you have to apologise to!" Harry spat looking around for something to throw.  
  
Draco sneered. "I'm not going to apologise to him for speaking the truth."  
  
"What the fuck would you know about my parents?"  
  
"More than you, obviously. But then, that's always been the way, hasn't it."  
  
Harry grabbed Fawkes' stand and lobbed it across the room. Draco caught it easily and tossed it back to it's place. Dumbledore was still being very quiet.  
  
"Wake up, Harry. For once, I'm not lying or bending the truth." He lifted his eyes up, trying to convey his sincerity. "Dumbledore is not as white as snow as you love to think."  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
"I have NEVER lied to you about your mother! I have lied, mislead and exaggerated to you about many things, but I have never told anything but the truth when it came to Lily."  
  
Harry stood there, trembling angrily as Draco turned his eyes to the floor. /And Draco fucks it up again. Hurting him even more. I just can't help myself can I?/  
  
"Dumbledore, please tell Malfoy to shut his fucking mouth." Harry said, calmly.  
  
Draco looked to the quiet headmaster. /How's that guilt doing you now? Prick./  
  
Dumbledore finally looked up. "I think that Draco should clarify why he said what he did. But not tonight. Another time, we shall discuss this. Until then, I would ask you all to leave this subject alone."  
  
"Gutless prick." Draco muttered, earning him another scathing look from the young Gryffindor. But he stood and walked out, Severus following him silently.  
  
----------  
  
Draco was refusing to speak to his seventh year class. He had everything they were supposed to do written up on the board and most of them were working quietly. He ignored the fourth enchanted paper aeroplane that came flying on to his desk. Ron and Harry had obviously set them up before class to appear from behind paintings and the bookcases. He rubbed the bead Alaric had gave him, it had taken it's place on the back of his right hand, just under the skin.  
  
It was the mutterings that really got to him. They were loud enough to be understood and soft enough to not be ignored. That irritating level that your mind automatically tunes to from some ancient instinct to hear what people were saying about you.  
  
The things that the two Gryffindors were saying weren't very nice. The other Gryffindors in the 'Battle' were sulking at them because they hadn't previously mentioned the 'Draco and Harry' situation, which was still the main topic of the school.  
  
The fifth paper plane landed just as Ron muttered 'Rent Boy' and Draco stood up. "Is there something the two of you would like to say?"  
  
Ron shook his head slowly. "Um, no. I can't think of anything."  
  
"How normal. Harry?"  
  
Ron was now glaring but Harry's expression was cold. "Sure. Um, you're a sick pervert who should be locked up and kept away from everyone except your own kind."  
  
"Mister Potter, if you spend your time thinking these insults up, perhaps you should only speak when you have something that is at least average. Otherwise, you're just wearing out your vocal chords prematurely."  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
"Very articulate. I'm stunned by your poetic capability."  
  
"Drop dead."  
  
Draco smirked. "You have no idea what I said, do you?"  
  
"At least I don't go around accusing innocent people of murder."  
  
"I never said he killed them, I only said it was his fault. There's an astounding difference."  
  
"Dumbledore is a brilliant man."  
  
"Dumbledore is a manipulative bastard who has ruined many people's lives."  
  
"Prove it!"  
  
Draco's eyes narrowed and he leant his hands on Harry's desk. "Twenty one years ago, Dumbledore started a rumour. It originally went along the lines of a prophecy. One that said the son of James Potter would help defeat Voldemort. It changed a few times but that was it basically. Everyone just knew that Lily and James would be together, it was one of those things. So James being important to Voldemort would make Lily a target too. Voldemort heard this rumour, most likely through Lucius somehow, and checked up on it."  
  
He had the room's entire attention, but Harry's was the only one he was looking for. "This wouldn't have been a problem if the prophecy hadn't turned out to be true. Dumbledore didn't know it was real, but that doesn't excuse him. Voldemort asked them to join him and when they turned him away, he hunted them down and killed them. He was after you most of all. But he didn't get you."  
  
"You're lying." Harry said sadly. His hands were shaking.  
  
"You know I'm not."  
  
"No, you are. Why would he start a rumour like that?"  
  
Draco's face went hard. "He wanted Sev to volunteer to be a spy. He just didn't have the guts to flat out ask him."  
  
"No." Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore would never do something like that."  
  
Draco sneered. "Would you care to place a wager on that?"  
  
Harry glared in return. "I don't care what you tell yourself to justify your actions, but don't start speaking shit about other people. Dumbledore is a better man than any of us will ever be."  
  
Draco put on a grim smile. "It's amazing what guilt can do. He felt so ashamed when he let Riddle slip through his fingers and become Voldemort. So he told himself that he needed a spy, but who? Sev fit the prerequisites, the profile, but how to get him? Oh of course, use his love for Lily against him."  
  
"Shut up." Harry gritted his teeth.  
  
"After all, if they had a spy, things would be so much better. The end would justify the means." Draco straightened up and looked down at the other boy. "But the ends didn't justify the means, not even close. Or," He titled his head as Harry looked up again. "Maybe you'll claim they did? Would you, Harry? Would you defend the man that did all this, just to appease his own guilt? Your parents died because of that rumour."  
  
"The prophecy would have come out anyway."  
  
"Unlikely. In order to confirm it, Voldemort had to capture the Centaurion King, and do ..... well, not nice things. Centaurs usually don't tell humans what the stars whisper to them. Especially not one's like Voldemort."  
  
The door flew open but Draco didn't bother to look, he knew who it would be.  
  
"Professor if I may have a word with you?" Dumbledore asked politely.  
  
"Anything you wish to say to me can be said in front of the seventh years, I'm sure."  
  
"Very well. I believe I asked you to leave this topic for another time?"  
  
Draco smiled. "I believe I asked you to stay the fuck away from me? You never seem to listen to that one."  
  
"How dare you ........ "  
  
"NO! How dare *you*, you meddling old fool?" Draco looked to him angrily. "You barge in here, trying to silence the truth? I thought you were it's number one fan?"  
  
"Things such as these should not be discussed in front of the students."  
  
"Why not? Don't want your sordid, contemptuous past to be public knowledge? It's not as bad as you'd think, I'm doing quite well with facing mine. Face it, you made a mistake, one that cannot be fixed and now you're trying to cover it up. Well, you did cover it up, but I'm sort of ruining that now."  
  
"That's enough."  
  
"I don't think so. After all, that's only half of this little story. Perhaps we should *discuss* what you did after all that?"  
  
"I said that was enough, Draco."  
  
"Your guilt for letting Riddle go started it all but then, after the downfall, you had to contend with the guilt you felt for Lily and James. All of that day, as people celebrated, you sat in your office thinking about what you had done. and then you thought of one more thing. Harry."  
  
"Draco, I'm warning you, that if you ...... "  
  
"Don't waste your breath on me, you don't scare me in the least. You thought of Harry, the tiny baby that had just been orphaned. The one who the prophecy that came true spoke of. He would help bring down Voldemort one day so you needed him to be a good little lap dog."  
  
"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore pointed his hand at Draco as a large blue light burst from it.  
  
Draco raised his own hand and it seemed to be absorbed into his skin. "DON'T BE SO FOOLISH! I'm not immortal, but I can certainly match you. And I will make you scream if it comes to that! You manipulated a sixteen year old boy into risking his life for you every day just because you didn't have the guts to ask! How the fuck can you stand there and tell me you did what needed to be done? You didn't even have the decency to let him choose for himself, and you ended up getting two people killed and a baby orphaned!"  
  
Dumbledore was shaking with rage by this time.  
  
"And so then you dump him off at the Dursleys'. Oh, wasn't that a wonderful idea? You knew what they were like! You knew they'd treat him badly. But you used the pathetic excuse that they were all the family he had left and therefore should be with them. BULLSHIT! You left him there, PRAYING they would be bastards. You wanted him to be so fucking grateful that he could come here and escape them, that he would worship you like you were some sort of god!"  
  
"SILENCE!"  
  
"NO! You left him there, and you never even helped. You didn't do anything when they locked him in a cupboard! You looked the other way when sometimes it went for days without him eating properly! Bloody hell, and people wonder why he's so fucking short!"  
  
Dumbledore just closed his eyes, as if he could block the blonde out.  
  
/Oh, no you fucking well don't./ "You left him there, like you left me there! You knew what my father was like, you knew what he was capable of. You just wanted to make sure that I'd listen to you so I could fulfil my own damn prophecy!"  
  
Draco stopped shouting and let his voice reach it's menacing level. "I don't care that you left me, because that brought me Sev. But I will never forgive you for what you did to him. Or Harry, or Lily. I hope you never can either. Now get the fuck out of my classroom, this conversation is over."  
  
Dumbledore stormed out and the door slammed shut after him.  
  
/Probably off to owl the Ministry. Well I don't fucking care./  
  
Harry's eyes were blank, and Draco, taking this as a bad sign kicked his class out and sat down at his desk when he was finally alone. He rolled his left sleeve up and started tracing the flames on his arm, thinking about what would happen now.  
  
-~~~-  
  
Part 23  
  
"Okay now swish and flick, then in a nice clear voice." Draco was sitting on his desk at four thirty in the morning having yet another cigarette. He was almost at chain smoking point.  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa!" The piece of paper twitched slightly.  
  
"That's pretty good. Now you just need to focus. Most witches and wizards have their magic open to them naturally, so all we have to do is give yours a nudge. It's hard but it can be done. Try again."  
  
"Okay." Draco's wand went swish and flick. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The parchment twitched again, a little more than last time. "So then what?"  
  
"Oh, so then I kicked them all out of the room. Harry seemed really odd, I probably shouldn't have ruined his godlike image of the old man."  
  
"Dumbledore isn't so bad. He's just made mistakes."  
  
Draco sighed. "I know that, but he refuses to accept the responsibility for it. I'm coming to terms with my own for god's sake and if I can do it, so can he. Less swish, more flick. And I'll never forgive him for what he did to Sev. He should have known that was wrong from the start."  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa!" One corner of the piece of paper actually rose slightly before falling back down.  
  
"Excellent! So yeah, now Dumbledore's probably gonna get the Ministry to take me away or something. He's really pissed off at me."  
  
"He'll get over it. Wingardium LEVIOSA!"  
  
"No, Argus, no, don't force it. I know it's frustrating but you're only suppose to be activating it. If it turns on and you do that you'll probably send the desk through the roof. Just try and let it open up on it's own terms."  
  
"Right, sorry. Wingardium Leviosa."  
  
"Here, let me try again." Draco lifted his hands and Filch walked over letting the blonde grab his head. "So, Harry hates me, Dumbledore hates me, not that I care on that score, Lucius must be ready to kill, and I don't trust the fact that people say he's disappeared completely. He was never the one to be patient, so expect bad things soon."  
  
"Yeah, Severus always said that people had better watch out if Lucius was after them. I .... ow!"  
  
"Sorry. I'm trying to get it to respond. I can see it, it's just dormant, but getting it to do anything is like dragging your fingertips over glass shards. Oh, wait, here's something." Draco had closed his eyes since he'd touched the other man and now tilted his head. "That's different."  
  
"What?"  
  
"One side seems to be higher than the other all of a sudden. I think we're finally getting somewhere." He opened his eyes and let go. "Try it again."  
  
Filch returned to the desk and raised Draco's wand. "Wingardium Leviosa." The paper lifted up to about a foot in the air and hovered for a few seconds before falling back down.  
  
"Cool!" Draco clapped a little. "That was pretty good!"  
  
Filch looked at the wand in shock and then back to the paper. "It ...... it did it. It floated for a little while. I've never been able to do that before."  
  
"Yeah, that was great! You want to rest, or do you want to try it a little more?"  
  
Filch didn't have time to answer as the door slammed open nearly falling off completely and Hagrid rushed in as fast as he could. "Draco! It's Selena, she ain't doing too well! It's real bad!"  
  
The smile left Draco's face instantly and he jumped off the desk. "What? Where is she?"  
  
"She's in her stable!"  
  
Draco could run a lot faster than Hagrid or Filch so he arrived first to find Sev already there and checking her over. "I don't know." The elder wizard said, before Draco had a chance to ask what was going on.  
  
Movement to the side caught his attention and he lit the whole stables to show Ron, Harry and Seamus looking very nervous. They obviously hadn't been able to leave as Sev would have seen them go to the door and for once Harry didn't seem to be holding his cloak. Draco's eyes narrowed in suspicion and premature anger. "What the fuck did you do to her, Potter?"  
  
Harry shifted and bit his lip. "Nothing, I'm sure she'll be fine. We er, we were just .. "  
  
"I don't care! Just tell me what you did!"  
  
"We gave her a Fury Potion." He said lifting his head a little as to show he wasn't scared.  
  
Draco's eyes closed for a brief second before they snapped open again. "I know." And then he ran nearly colliding with Hagrid and Filch who were just arriving.  
  
The outburst must have been meant for Sev because the teacher got to his feet and slowly walked up to the three boys. "And why did you do that?" He whispered, his anger very clear.  
  
Harry stood up straighter. "We knew he always took her for a ride on Saturday mornings, she wouldn't have let her near him. It was only a prank."  
  
"Fascinating. And do you know what goes in a Fury Potion?"  
  
"Of course. We made it." Harry tilted his head. "And we made it well. It took us all night."  
  
"So you are aware that there is Dittany in it?"  
  
They nodded quietly.  
  
"And were you also aware that, for some reason, winged unicorns are severely allergic to Dittany." Sev's voice was more of a purr than a growl, but it still served it's purpose and made their knees shake.  
  
Harry's eyes had widened and he looked to where the unicorn was lying now. Filch and Hagrid were trying to keep her from rolling to her side and possibly breaking one of her wings. He shook his head slowly as he looked back to Sev. "No, um, we didn't know that."  
  
"Then I suggest you make a note of it, Mister Potter. And do hang around to see if she survives, I'm sure Draco would like to talk to you for a second when this is all over. No matter what the outcome." He spat, coldly.  
  
Harry sat down heavily, his friends following, and looked at Selena as she made a noise that was almost like a howl. The door flew open again and Draco fell to the ground, losing his balance from the impact. He crawled to her and pulled the cork out of the large flask he was carrying. "Okay, hold her head!" Hagrid grabbed her head as Filch and Sev kept her body steady.  
  
Draco forced her mouth open and poured the contents down her throat, some coming back up to splash him a little and part of his face and hair was covered with a blue liquid. It was finally all gone and the four of them stayed with her, waiting for the antidote to take effect.  
  
"I couldn't find any Remedy, I had to get a Counter Act." Draco panted out as she tossed her head and knocked him to the ground.  
  
"That should work just as well." Sev said back, trying to stop Selena from rolling.  
  
She seemed to calm down after a few minutes and Draco placed his hands on her back as they glowed. He opened his eyes and gave a relived smile to Sev. "She'll be a little skittish for a few days, but she'll be okay."  
  
The smile stopped instantly as he looked to the three Gryffindors. "And as for you fuckers ...... fifty points off for each of you for being out at night. And a further thirty each for causing serious harm to a defenceless unicorn."  
  
He stood up and slowly started to walk over. "Oh and also? I'm going to kill you." The hay all around them caught fire and they jumped to their feet in panic.  
  
"We didn't know." Ron said taking a step back.  
  
"I don't care." He looked to Harry and growled. "You arrogant little fuck! If you want to hurt me, fine, hurt me. But you stay the fuck away from my friends! You come after me, not them!"  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Harry said, backing away quickly. "The potion had been used on unicorns before."  
  
"Jesus fucking Christ, you dickhead! What? I suppose you consider a winged horse to be the same as a normal horse too? You could have killed her!"  
  
"I'm sorry!"  
  
Harry didn't even see the punch coming. A sickening crack sounded as Draco's fist slammed into the Gryffindor's jaw. "Get the fuck out of my sight!" The flames went higher.  
  
Harry stumbled and fell to his knees as he went a little dizzy. His neck hurt from how far his head had turned from the impact and his jaw had an odd ache about it.  
  
"OUT!" Draco took a step towards him as Hagrid grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.  
  
"I didn't fucking know!" Harry yelled back, holding his jaw. It must have hurt to talk. "I was just getting you back! You deserved it!"  
  
"WHAT? You're fucking punishing me for ruining your opinion of that bloody old fool?"  
  
"NO!" Harry dragged himself to his feet. "I did it because you never told me before! There were a hundred times you could have told me about all that, and you never fucking did!"  
  
Draco took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "That would be because I didn't fucking know. I only found out when I scanned Riddle's mind to work out how to make Hagrid better. He knew, and then I knew."  
  
"Oh." Harry's lip had started to bleed and Draco felt guilt wash over him. He could tell that Harry was speaking the truth when he said they didn't know. But it was hard for him to not retaliate when someone he cared about was threatened. He reached his hand out and touched Harry's face, healing him quickly and trying to block the sickening feeling of Harry's hate.  
  
It confused him for a second that he couldn't feel Harry's guilt, even though the boy was obviously sorry about it all. /I should be able to. It's not like Harry's hate could drown it out completely?/ He took his hand away and Harry touched it cautiously.  
  
"I'm sorry I struck you." He said coldly. "It was unacceptable. I will understand if you take the matter up with the headmaster."  
  
"You bet he will!"  
  
"Leave it, Ron." Harry said softly. "Just leave it."  
  
"Get out, all of you." Draco said, rubbing his face. "I'm too tired for this shit now." He put the flames out and rolled his head, stretching his neck.  
  
The three hurried out, but Harry stopped just outside the door. "I am sorry, Draco." He said softly.  
  
"I know. Just get out."  
  
Draco looked over because of the tap on his shoulder. Filch was holding his wand out.  
  
"I reckon we should take this up another night. Thanks for the help."  
  
Draco nodded and took his wand, putting it back up his sleeve as Filch and Hagrid left in silence.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm just tired."  
  
"You should get some rest."  
  
"Yeah, I'll just sleep here tonight. She'll want to speak with me when she wakes up."  
  
Selena was now sleeping peacefully on her stomach with her legs tucked around her. Sev nodded as he patted Draco on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure he'll see it was justified."  
  
"Christ, Sev. I hit him. Like a true hit."  
  
"Just don't think about it. I'm sure everything will be fine."  
  
"As if he didn't have enough reasons to hate me."  
  
"Draco!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Don't think about it. I know the drill."  
  
Sev left and Draco sat down a little way from Selena, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his head on his knees. /I really shouldn't have hit him. Oh well, too late to change now. I'll just get some sleep and try not to think about it. Just like Sev said./ He gave a yawn. /Sev's always right. I really should learn to listen to him. Maybe one day, I will. Who knows, stranger things have happened./  
  
He fell asleep in that position. He was so tired that he didn't remember to put up the spells he always did when he didn't want anyone sneaking up on him. So he didn't notice when someone crept into the barn and left him a small plate of biscuits and some milk for when he woke up.  
  
He didn't feel the gentle kiss to his forehead or hear the whispered 'I'm sorry' either.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	3. Part 24

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Little bit of blood play. :)  
  
  
  
Golden Daffodils  
  
  
  
--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud.  
  
  
  
Part 24  
  
On the following Monday, Draco wasn't thrilled that it was his turn to help supervise the seventh year Astronomy class. He hadn't spoken to many people since Selena's illness because he'd been too busy checking at she was really okay. It got to the point when she, so sick of his mollycoddling, had taken off to go spend some time with the Centaurs.  
  
But now he had to go and help with the seventh years, and that meant being near Harry. Draco still got the sick feeling of guilt when he thought about what he'd done, but he tried to push it aside  
  
The only thing that had happened was that Sirius had turned up once again to rant and rave about Draco not being fit to be near the students let alone teach them, but Draco had tolerated it fairly well, infuriating the man by saying that Sev should have killed him, every now and then. Harry hadn't said anything, just told Sirius to sit down and be quiet. Draco had been a little disturbed by this, as he had expected much more.  
  
But he nodded to the students politely as he walked through the door to arrive at the very top of the new Astronomy Tower, nicknamed Astro-Tow. He'd heard it was named after a shop in some muggle cartoon, but it was obviously a program he wasn't familiar with. Something about travelling in space and having your craft break down. He didn't keep in touch with television anymore, even if he had grown up with it.  
  
Harry even managed a polite nod back, which was surprising as well as a vast improvement. Draco took a seat, ready to help with any questions as he looked at the stars. He couldn't read them as strongly as the Centaurs could, but he could usually get the basic feelings. He rubbed the bead that still lay under the skin of his hand as he read of something unpleasant, something sad and unwelcome. He tried to focus, remembering every thing he had been taught, but Star Reading had always been a bit of challenge for him.  
  
/Obviously don't have enough Centaur blood in me. I can't make out what that means. Bloody Jupiter, also had problems with it. Let's see, it's travelling across, it's high, that means something is impending, something's coming. Maybe it's Lucius? That would be nice. Then I could rip the skin from him and let him bleed out./  
  
"Draco?"  
  
He looked away from the stars, blinking as his eyes refocused. "Hello, Sev. Why are you here?" He smiled but it froze as he took in the other's appearance.  
  
"I thought you might like to know. I only just received it." Sev held out a piece of paper which Draco took automatically, despite the fact that he should be more careful, what with the whispers of Lucius growing and the rumours starting to circulate of his sightings. /Lucius would love to get his hands on me. Well, I wish for just the same./ He flicked the letter open and began to read.  
  
-  
  
Severus Snape,  
  
We regret to inform you that the lifeless body of your mother was discovered in her temporary home at Barcelona.  
  
-  
  
Draco looked up, disbelief and shock covering his face. Sev made no comment so he looked back down at the paper.  
  
-  
  
We believe foul play has occurred but at this time we still have no leads as to her attackers. We believe it to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown.  
  
-  
  
/I think I have a fair idea. No, this can't be true, not real. Not Nanna, she can't be dead. She never did anything wrong./ The thoughts all whirled around as he tried to focus.  
  
-  
  
Please accept our deepest sympathies and rest assured that a full investigation is being launched due to the fact you have given your services so freely to us in times of need and may be suffering now because of that.  
  
-  
  
Draco's knuckles were going white and few knew the only reason the page wasn't ripping was because it was enchanted. Such notices from the Ministry always were. He absently registered in his mind that the entire Tower was very quiet and that the students were probably all staring at him. He felt a tear slip from his left eye and down his cheek. A small drop of clear moisture landed on the page.  
  
-  
  
All we have been able to deduct so far was that she did not suffer before her death as no signs of the traces that the various pain inducing curses have been found.  
  
-  
  
Draco knew that knowledge would give him some relief later, but right now, it didn't matter at all. He cringed inwardly as he felt a tear make it's way down the right side of his face and hoped the students wouldn't notice. A drop of red, thick liquid hit the page and he could feel the blood trail start to dry on his cheek.  
  
-  
  
We are unsure how she was discovered as, by your request, she was  
  
We shall keep you inform, should any further information come to light.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Patrick Aldson.  
  
-  
  
He didn't mean to, but he looked up, therefore giving everyone the opportunity to see his face. He vaguely heard some muttered gasps at the sight of the blood on his face but all Sev did was reach out and wipe it off. /No, no, no, no, no. FUCKING LUCIUS!/  
  
"FUCKING LUCIUS!" He jumped to his feet and his sad, pained face slipped away to be replace with an enraged look. "Now that is just too fucking much!"  
  
"Draco ... "  
  
"NO! NO FUCKING WAY!" He looked Sev straight in the eye and smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. "He is NOT getting away with this one." Draco could feel his skin heat and knew that he was starting to glow as the only light for the tower came from the door, making it quite murky. Some of the seventh years were backing away to the safety wall. "He pays for this one, and he pays for it now." Draco let out a snarl, the students jumped and Sev looked concerned.  
  
The teacher's boot caught fire but he extinguished it quickly. "You can't leave the grounds, and you know I wouldn't let you, even if you could. Fudge is just looking for an excuse to lock you away, don't give it to him."  
  
Draco's smiled widened, but didn't become any less nasty. "I'm not going to leave the grounds. I can't go to him, he won't come to me, but neither of us have to go anywhere."  
  
Sev frowned kicking his boot as it still smouldered a little. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Draco looked straight down, through the floor and all the way down to the dungeons. He waved his hand four times in a left to right motion and then looked up. "It's all in the blood." He said sweetly, his eyes taking on a crazed look. "All in the blood."  
  
Sev took a step back as he was startled when jars and bottles started floating through the floor. He recognised them as his own, from his lab and looked to Draco, confused. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Blood. Such a beautiful thing. I have a lot of it, not all human, hell most of it isn't human, I don't even qualify." Draco held his hand out, palm facing up wards.  
  
"Draco, you're rambling. Stop it!"  
  
"Blood, blood, blood. Yes, that's what I need. Lucius pays, pays for it in blood." A small fire broke out of his palm, the flame was blue.  
  
"Draco? Can you even hear me? Calm down!"  
  
Draco felt the fury overtake him and quickly used the last of his good sense to take measures to protect Sev and the students. In the distance, the entire Quidditch pitch burst into flames causing the students to gasp and mutter. /I feel so alive, haven't felt this good in months, so angry, so angry. Lucius won't get away with this one, it just wouldn't be fair. All Nanna ever did was love me, that isn't a crime, you don't die for that. I'll kill him, kill him, kill, kill. But not today, can't to it this way. But I can get just as good. Can make him bleed, make him scream./  
  
As Draco stood there, thinking dangerous things, the jars and bottles had opened, the ingredients were mixing together on their own as his hand heated them. He could hear the pounding of blood in his ears and the whistling of power as it hummed through him.  
  
The ingredients stopped moving, stopped mixing and just lay there quietly in the air. A large pool of yellow liquid hanging in mid-air. Draco opened his mouth and the still boiling hot mass flowed down his throat into his stomach and started to seep into his circulatory system. He could feel it going into his blood, then his bones and then into his flesh. He held his hands out wide to each side, lifting his arms.  
  
The dagger in his boot levitated itself out and up to float in front of his chest as a sudden breeze ripped his shirt off, leaving him naked form the waist up. He didn't even care that anyone might see the new mark he had on his arm. That didn't matter right now. All that mattered to him was that Lucius had to be hurt. He just heard what Sev was yelling at him. He must have caught on to what Draco was planning.  
  
"DRACO! YOU COULD GO TO AZKABAN FOR THIS! STOP IT! DAMN YOU, BOY!"  
  
His feet left the ground easily as he returned his concentration to the task at hand. The knife started to dance around, cutting him here, cutting him there, making small little incisions all over his torso. The blood that should have dripped from there arched away, like tiny threads and started to form a pool only a few feet away from his face.  
  
Draco knew that the students were all now huddled on the floor and he was sorry he was scaring them, but he had to do this while the fury was still burning hot or it wouldn't work. He started to mutter the necessary incantation under his breath. His lips never stopped moving as the pool of blood floating before him started to grow and shimmer.  
  
The tiny threads of blood stopped flowing to the pool, as it was now fully formed. The surface glistened once more before a bright light started in the middle and expanded out. As the image of light expanded Draco saw Lucius, saw the man turn and give a quizzical look. He couldn't see where he was or what he was doing, but he did see the look of recognition and arrogance of the elder wizard's face as Lucius looked back at him. The lips moved, but the temporary mirror could not be used to convey sound.  
  
Draco lowered his left arm and grasped the dagger. /Have to be quick, not much time, time too fleeting./ His eyes narrowed and his face turned to one of only fury. Without even thinking about what he was doing he slammed the blade of the knife right through his right hand and watched victoriously as Lucius let out a silent scream, clutching as his own hand.  
  
Instead of just pulling it straight out again, Draco dragged the blade upwards, causing it to exit by way of cutting through the flesh between his first and second finger. Lucius was lying on the ground now. He pushed the dagger back in, roughly the same place as the first puncture, but dragged it out between his thumb and first finger.  
  
Draco smiled cruelly as he saw the Lucius had tears of pain dripping down his face. /Yes, hope it hurts, hope it kills./ He looked at the blood that was covering his father's robe. /Blood, always the blood./ Draco harshly grabbed his forefinger at the first knuckle and with a sickening, tearing noise, ripped it right off his own hand.  
  
Lucius screamed again and Draco wished he could hear it, but took comfort in the look of pain. He blinked as he felt his head go dizzy. He was still three feet in the air. He blinked again, this time much more slowly and with one last smile of triumph he passed out.  
  
His body hit the stone floor as the pool of blood stopped floating and splashed down, getting the few nearest people much to their displeasure. Draco was out cold in a magic induced coma and didn't notice any of it.  
  
He also didn't notice that Harry had passed out too.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	4. Part 25

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Another sort of cliffhanger. Won't be long now :)  
  
  
  
Golden Daffodils  
  
  
  
--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud.  
  
  
  
Part 25  
  
Draco opened his eyes, only to stare straight at the ceiling of the hospital wing. He looked to his left to find Harry, sitting on a chair next to his bed and staring at the new mark on Draco's arm. The Gryffindor looked confused as he looked at it from one way, and then the other.  
  
/Well, this is going to be fun./ "I missed the flames."  
  
Harry had jumped slightly, eyes flicking to Draco's face before looking away guilty. "I was just trying to work out what was *in* the flames."  
  
Draco lifted his arm up so he could point them out. "That's a lily. And these two with their stems wrapped around it are daffodils."  
  
Harry nodded in acceptance. "Yeah, they looked familiar."  
  
Draco feigned ignorance. "Huh?"  
  
"Never mind. It's um, very nice. I like the colours."  
  
Draco looked at the silver flames. He watched the flowers dance and twine for a few moments before commenting. "Yeah, I've changed it a little since I first put it on. Not much though, just aligned everything right and such."  
  
Harry obviously decided it was time to stop beating about the bush. "What did you do?"  
  
/Ah, and here comes Question Time. Great./ "It was a blood link." He looked to his own right hand, it was perfectly back to normal, his finger growing back while he was out of it. "I cut off one of Lucius' fingers."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Draco snarled softly. "He killed Sev's mother."  
  
"Oh."  
  
They stayed there in silence for a short time before Harry made the choice to go on. "Is he dead?"  
  
Draco shook his head. "Sadly, no, I think he could survive that. Unless he somehow bled out after the link was dissolved."  
  
Harry looked surprised for a moment. "You let him live?"  
  
Draco smiled thinly. "Unfortunately, to kill him using that, would mean I would have had to kill myself. That's why I just did something small."  
  
"Professor Snape is really mad at you."  
  
"Figures."  
  
"No, Draco, seriously, he's furious. He nearly gave Neville a heart attack when he rounded on him in class this morning. And he keeps muttering about you under his breath. Something about you're a foolish boy who should be locked in his room, keep you out of trouble."  
  
Draco laughed softly and finally sat up in his bed. "Don't worry, he'll be okay in a few days, I've angered him before. I've done it worse before." He turned to sit cross-legged and face Harry who leant back in his chair.  
  
"I passed out too, you know."  
  
"That was a possibility."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you, you irritating brat, won't let me disconnect us." Draco tapped his head. "When I fell it was because my heart stopped from the back surge, in turn that passed to you because I was technically dead and that put a strain on the connection. It's all part of the spell. The back surge hits you, stops your heart then restarts it a few seconds later and you slip into a coma. It's all done so your body can have a chance to recover."  
  
"You scared the hell out of everyone."  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes. "I just wanted to remind Lucius that he shouldn't play with fire. He, unlike me, can't just grow his finger back, and he'll be hard pressed to find a medi-wizard that will help him."  
  
"Speaking of fire, the Quidditch pitch is almost back to normal."  
  
Draco smiled, embarrassed. "Ah, yes, sorry about that. It was either that or the seventh years fry." He stopped smiling and looked up. "Okay, so?"  
  
"So what?"  
  
Draco gave a tired sigh and started picking at the sheet. "So why are you really here?"  
  
"Oh, um, yeah. I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to do it last night, but well, everything got a little out of hand."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Harry blushed and looked to the floor. "Look, okay, I was silly. The whole war thing was stupid. Um, I really am sorry about Selena."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Yeah, and well, I want to call a truce. We both have done things in our past that we're not happy about, so let's just leave it at that."  
  
Draco nodded. "Very well." He held out his hand. "A truce it is."  
  
Harry shook his head frantically. "Um, no, let's not shake on it." He brought both his hands to his lap and left them there.  
  
"Ah yes, quite right, the sickening feeling of hate." Draco nodded again, if only to give himself something to do and forget about how it had felt.  
  
"Is it really that bad?"  
  
"It's not pleasant in the least. It's quite awful really, it can almost make your stomach churn."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Draco smiled, shaking his head. "No, it's not your fault. I have done plenty in my life to warrant you to truly hate me. You never did let me apologise and explain that. You cut me off and stormed away."  
  
"Yeah, sorry. I just wanted to beat you to it."  
  
Draco frowned with confusion but let it pass. "You should probably get to lunch, Harry, we both have classes soon."  
  
Harry nodded and stood to leave, but something made him stop and look uncertain.  
  
"Something else?"  
  
Harry nodded. "If I ask you something, you'll tell the truth won't you?"  
  
"I'm tired of lying to you or anyone." /Brace yourself. This could be bad./  
  
"Have you ever slept with Justin?"  
  
Whatever Draco had been expecting, this wasn't it. "Um, if you mean in the sexual way, then no. Why? Have you?" He was only teasing and was glad that Harry caught on.  
  
"You already know the answer to that. I'm sure he would have mentioned it one way or the other." The small smile disappeared. "Did you ever sleep with Blaise?"  
  
"No. Why does it matter?"  
  
"No, I guess it doesn't. Just something I heard them say made me wonder."  
  
Draco titled his head. "When?"  
  
Harry was starting to look lost in thought. "Oh, it was while you were unconscious, after the whole death thing." He shook his head and seemed to come back to himself. "Neither of them?"  
  
Draco looked at Harry warily. "No. I never had sex with either of them. Though they did offer once or twice."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Draco looked at Harry carefully as the boy seemed to be upset with something. /Why would it bother him if I didn't sleep with them?/ "Harry?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, um, never ...... never mind. I should go, I have classes."  
  
Draco watched, baffled, as Harry nearly walked into the next bed. The Gryffindor practically ran out of the room and he shook his head in confusion. /Lunatics. All of them./  
  
----------  
  
He endured Dumbledore's well meaning lecture on how to be careful with the Ministry breathing down his back. He patiently listened to Sev yell at him for over an hour. He wandered into his room and wrote a letter to William, deciding that it was time to stop letting people push him around.  
  
Then he stared around, wondering what to do next, as the owl flew off to Germany. He decided to go so Alaric and talked to him about what he had seen in the sky last night. He had a feeling that while Nanna's death had been sad, it wasn't quite what the stars had meant.  
  
Alaric greeted him warmly, but when he asked about the stars the old Centaur just looked at him sadly. That did not put Draco's mind at ease and for the next three days he was on his guard the whole time. The protection around Sev was tightened after he threatened to set Dumbledore's beard on fire, but it still didn't make him any more calm.  
  
Justin and Blaise didn't quite grasp the whole thing about protecting Sev, but Draco did try to explain it to them.  
  
"But you also love Harry. I don't see you threatening to rip Dumbledore's arms off if Lucius gets him?"  
  
"Well, of course not. It's not necessary to protect him."  
  
"Why the hell not?" Justin threw a pillow at Draco to emphasise his point.  
  
"Because Lucius in all his pathetic wisdom, doesn't know that I love the git."  
  
"Of course, he does." Blaise sat up and shot Draco a confused look. "Why wouldn't he?"  
  
"Because I never told him about it. I never told any of them about how I felt. Most of them knew I had been sleeping with him, but Lucius sure as hell didn't know I loved him. They just thought I was following my orders."  
  
"Orders?"  
  
"Voldemort wanted his semen to create some master army. But I gave him mine instead, just in case. That was one of the main reasons I went after Harry anyway."  
  
"What was the other?"  
  
Draco looked to Justin and smiled grimly. "Because I wanted him. I loved him. I didn't want to die without knowing his touch." He stared down at the ground. "I didn't want Voldemort to be my first. With anything."  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"Meaning I scanned his mind for what he liked to do and then convinced Harry to do it to me. That way, no matter what, I could always have the thought that I'd done whatever it was with Harry first. A lot easier to stomach than having to remember Tom."  
  
"I think I can understand that." Justin nodded thoughtfully. "It would be awful to have to think of anything like that. I don't know how you cope with what you already deal with." He shuddered.  
  
Draco smiled weakly. "No offence or anything, but I wish the hat had put me in Hufflepuff. Lucius would have disowned me and none of this would have been a problem."  
  
Justin stuck his tongue out and sulked quietly. "You wouldn't have made the cut, *traitor*." This time he had to duck a pillow which had been the retaliation for his teasing.  
  
"You're more wrong than you think." Draco smirked as they frowned. "Didn't I ever tell you about the trial run?"  
  
They both shook their heads. "Not the whole story, no."  
  
"Well, as you know, I had a trial run with the Sorting Hat, just to see if it would put me in Slytherin. That's what we wanted, keep Lucius happy and everything that his son was turning out to be the perfect little follower and all that stuff."  
  
"Okay." Justin shifted slightly to get more comfortable.  
  
"Bloody thing had the gall to suggest we create an entirely new house, just for me." Draco put out his cigarette roughly. "I told it to just sodding well put me in Slytherin and get over it."  
  
"And did it?"  
  
Draco scowled. "I argued with that fucking hat for three hours, before Dumbledore gave up and said he'd hex it to put me in Slytherin. That's why it barely touched me before it placed me."  
  
"Why couldn't it decide?"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Apparently I was something of an anomaly, no big shock there. I always have been and things don't seem to be changing much in that respect."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It said I had undying loyalty, providing it was the right person. Immovable courage, providing it was the right cause. Wisdom of the way the world worked, I got that from my childhood, and well, I only just have to touch a book to know it completely, so that took care of Ravenclaw. And it said my ambition to get Lucius locked up and out of my life was unsurpassed. In other words, it had no bloody clue to what to do with me. All of the traits it judges us by are in everyone, most people having more strength in one or another, but I really stumped it. Even though I just kept saying 'Put me in Slytherin', it kept replying 'But I'm not sure if that's best.' which made me rather angry. It got a little singed."  
  
"Yes, that certainly does sound like you."  
  
"Shut up, Jus."  
  
"But back to the original topic." Blaise interrupted before an all out pillow fight began. "Why aren't you having Harry protected. Lucius knows you love him."  
  
This time, Draco didn't miss the sound of guilt in the other boy's voice. "And how would he?"  
  
Blaise blushed. "I thought we had won."  
  
Draco titled his head as he remembered something Dumbledore had said to him when he had first opened up in the hospital wing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ah, er, I'm very sorry, Draco. He managed to escape during the fighting. Blaise was one of the last to see him."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Blaise? What did you do?"  
  
The boy squirmed. "I swear, I didn't know he was going to get out. I just wanted to rub it in that his son had betrayed him and everything."  
  
"Did you tell Lucius I loved Harry?"  
  
The boy nodded silently, blushing.  
  
Draco tensed up slightly and then forced a smile. "I guess that's all right. I'm sure that Dumbledore would have taken that into consideration."  
  
"I didn't tell Dumbledore what I said." Was the whisper that came out.  
  
Draco was finding it harder and harder to keep the smile on his face. "Who did you tell?"  
  
"No one, I didn't think it would matter."  
  
Draco stood up off his bed slowly and decided on the best course of action. "I think I'm going to go warn Harry personally."  
  
As he was walking up to the Tower he made one small mistake by looking out at the stars. /Hmmm, they say something is missing. I wonder what?/ He came to a stop and tried to read them further as Blaise and Justin waited behind him. He finally caught a small message that he nearly overlooked. /I wonder what the hell 'Fly, thy wings, for you shall be called' means? Call the wings? Unless they mean a Swap? Why would anyone do that?/ Draco's eyes widened slightly. /Fuck./  
  
He ran the rest of the way to the entrance to Gryffindor.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	5. Part 26

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Another sort of cliffhanger. Only 2-3 parts and then the Epilogue!!!!!!! Ah misery :)  
  
  
  
Golden Daffodils  
  
  
  
--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud.  
  
  
  
Part 26  
  
"Beulah, please! Come on, you have to! You know I wouldn't ask unless it was vital!"  
  
"I'm really not supposed to Draco, dear. Not without the password, you know that. I don't want to lose my job."  
  
Draco was arguing with the Fat Lady about her not opening the portrait and letting them into the common room. He didn't know this week's password to Gryffindor Tower as he had been unconscious during the weeks staff meeting when all the passwords were shared in case of an emergency.  
  
"Beulah Custance Pinkstone! If you don't open this damn door, right now, I'm going to hex you until your thin!"  
  
"You wouldn't dare! You know it, and I know it! So please, dear, don't bother with the threats."  
  
Draco sulked and crossed his arms, knowing full well he wouldn't hurt the painting, but he was still annoyed. "But I'm a professor! Can't you make an exception, just this once! You know I not going to hurt him!" He tried as a last resort.  
  
The Fat Lady made a face that indicated she was thinking about it.  
  
"Please Beulah, it's very important. I swear it is."  
  
"Oh, very well, if they ask me why I did it, I'll just say you were on teacher business." She swung open and Draco strode in quickly, Blaise and Justin hurrying after him.  
  
"Thank you." He hollered back.  
  
Ron looked up his chess game with Seamus and frowned. "What do you want? You shouldn't be here, teacher or not."  
  
"Where's Harry?"  
  
"Well actually, while we're speaking of him, what the hell did you say to him in the infirmary? He's been odd ever since. All sulky and depressed." Ron crossed his arms defiantly. "What did you do to him this time? I swear, if you've done something .... "  
  
"WHERE IS HE?"  
  
The redhead blinked in shock. "He er, received a letter from Sirius and went to go read it in private. Um, he's in our room. Come to think of it, he's been gone for awhile now."  
  
Draco wasn't listening by this point, he had headed for the stairs the second he heard where Harry would be. It didn't take him long to reach the right door and he pushed hard, trying to open it. It was locked. Deciding that he could fix it if necessary, and that there was no time to be standing around yelling until it was unlocked, he placed his palm against the wood and a second later the entire door disintegrated into a pile of ash on the floor. He quickly walked in and looked around for Harry.  
  
The room was empty.  
  
"SHIT!" Draco stomped the floor and felt one of the stones crack. "FUCK! I'm gonna kill that bastard!"  
  
"Funny." Said Ron's voice from behind him. "I saw him go up. I don't think anyone saw him come back down either."  
  
Draco stopped the instinct to punch the redhead just in time. "Blaise. I need you to run back down to the dungeons, get the mirror that's in my trunk and bring it back here. It can't come floating through the castle floors, the enchantment on it is very old."  
  
There was no sound of movement and he spun around. "I MEANT NOW!"  
  
Blaise jumped, nodded hastily and raced away.  
  
"What's going on?" Justin asked gently. "Where's Harry?"  
  
"He's gone."  
  
"Where to?"  
  
"To wherever the hell Lucius is."  
  
"You don't know that for sure? I mean, how could he have gotten him?"  
  
Draco stopped for a second on that one, until he turned to Ron. "You said he got a letter?"  
  
Ron nodded, panic starting to rise on his face.  
  
"Perhaps we should go to Dumbledore?" Hermione broke in. "Tell him, what's happening.  
  
"There's no time for that. Hermione? Here's a puzzler for you. Can paper be enchanted into a portkey?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Wrong."  
  
"No. All paper in the world, apart from some hand made types in smaller, poorer countries, is made with a potion mixed into it. It's impossible to turned into a portkey." She said back bitterly. "The law was passed in 1932 when the rate of disappearances increased dramatically. Dark wizards using innocent looking letters to bring their victims to them and all."  
  
"And what would you think if I told you that an inferior potion was being used, and had been ever since that law had passed? One that made the paper almost unchangeable? Where you could make a portkey, so long as you knew the right way? What would you say if I told you that it was decided they use that inferior potion because it was a lot cheaper to make?"  
  
Hermione bit her lip. "I'd say we were in trouble if Lucius knows how to do it."  
  
"Trust me, he does. It was one of the little secrets he stole while he was working close to the Ministry." Draco's voice was almost a snarl. "Shit! I should have seen this coming. The security on him should have been tightened anyway. Threat or no threat! It's Harry fucking Potter for god's sake, I'm sure he has a million enemies!"  
  
"You couldn't have known." Justin said soothingly. "Don't blame yourself."  
  
"This was exactly the reason I had all of Sev's mail screened."  
  
"So, now you think Lucius has him?" Hermione was starting to look as if she'd run for Dumbledore any second but Draco didn't care.  
  
/Damn it all to hell. I should have told Blaise to meet us in the Old Astronomy Tower. Now we're going to waste time getting form here to there./ "Well, I'm praying he's just crept out to go meet some pretty boy, but it's not looking good." Draco hissed through his teeth. /Fucking Blaise, fucking Harry, fucking Lucius. Yeah, let's blame him./ "Where the bloody hell is Blaise?"  
  
"It takes awhile to get to the dungeons and back, he'll be here soon." Justin tried to pat him on the arm but Draco shrugged it off and walked over to Harry's bed.  
  
Examining it for awhile he finally found some black strands of hair and picked them up off of the pillow.  
  
"What do you need those for?"  
  
"The mirror." He answered shortly. /If I can just get the image, I can call for a Trade Off. Shit, I've never tried Swapping before. Why the hell didn't I ever practice it? Oh yeah, the high danger level. Sev would have killed me, if I had survived. Dumbledore almost didn't survive. Oh shut up, I'm not Dumbledore./  
  
A few minutes later and exceedingly puffed Blaise raced back in and collapsed on to the floor after handing the mirror over. Draco wasted no time in putting the hairs into the compartment. "Show me."  
  
The darkness cleared to show Harry. Tied to a chair. Draco knew of only one wizard who would tie someone up with real rope instead of using magic. Without letting go of the mirror he turned and started to run out of the Gryffindor Tower. He vaguely heard everyone following, especially Blaise, who whined about more running. He nearly ripped the Fat Lady in his rush to get out. Turning left he headed for the hallway that would lead him to the Old Astronomy Tower.  
  
After the few twists and turns he finally made it up. Holding the mirror up, with the image facing out, his lips started to move with no sound. The wind picked up as a strange screeching noise started to howl.  
  
The others had finally caught up and were forced to put their hands over their ears. The noise only seemed to get louder and a blinding flash from the mirror burst out, shattered it. Draco threw the mirror away, but the image remained where it was. The screeching reached an unbearable level and then stopped just as quickly as the image disappeared.  
  
Another noise started up and everyone turned to look at the Owlery as all the birds flew out and away.  
  
/Fly, thy wings, for you shall be called./  
  
"Draco?" Hermione's voice made him look around. "I, er, hope you're not initiating what I think you are."  
  
"Well, that would all depend." Draco spat back sarcastically. /Honestly, bloody know it all./  
  
"Please tell me you're not doing a Change Over."  
  
"I'm not doing a Change Over." Draco automatically responded.  
  
"Are you CRAZY? Swapping is highly dangerous!"  
  
"What the BLOODY HELL is going on?" Ron shouted.  
  
Hermione tried to pull Draco away but he planted his feet. "He's doing a Change Over, Swap or Trade Off, whatever you want to call it. He's sent all the winged creatures out to look for Lucius and Harry and when one finds them, he trades places with it." He sent Draco an accusing glance. "Every single winged insect, non-flightless bird, or anything else with wings that can fly, including Selena," She pointed to where you could just see Selena rising from the forest where she had been visiting the Centaurs, and heading off. "Is now out and about looking for them."  
  
"In England?  
  
"In the world. Every single one in the world is now out, searching just as far."  
  
Draco looked to then and smiled stiffly. "Shouldn't take long. Justin? Go tell Sev. He won't be happy."  
  
"You're not supposed to leave the grounds, Draco." Ron argued.  
  
Draco gritted his teeth. "Would you rather I just left Harry to Lucius?"  
  
"Well, no."  
  
"Then shut up." Draco then snapped his head back to stare out. "Found them!" The wind picked up again.  
  
Hermione gasped and dragged everyone away from him as he raised his arms and started to mutter something. "They'll lock you up Draco!"  
  
"I don't care!"  
  
"Even Dumbledore failed this part of the spell! The Trade Off is almost impossible! In the last two hundred years. the only creatures who ever succeed in switching places is trolls when they were tested on! All they did was stand there as others did the incantation! You won't make it! You'll probably die!"  
  
"You're forgetting something Hermione!" It was almost impossible to hear anything with the wind howling.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
Abruptly the wind stopped, everything went silent and Draco looked over. "I'm not human."  
  
Then, to the three students watching, Draco seemed to turn into a butterfly.  
  
----------  
  
He smacked into the ground on his knees. /God damn those butterflies, can't they think to fly higher when I'm doing that?/ He picked himself up and looked at the building he had landed in front of. It seemed perfectly normal. He closed his eyes and opened them again.  
  
Protection spells dripping off it from every single point. He knew if he dismantled them Lucius would know he was here so he thought quickly about what to do. He scanned the inside and found Harry and Lucius, roughly at the centre of the ground floor. The Dagger of Cadamine was sitting on a table of some sort, well out of Lucius' reach, a fact that Draco was thankful for.  
  
He was well aware that he would probably lose if he had to go up against Lucius without magic. But if that's what it had come to, he probably would have tried anyway. /Too god damn stubborn and reckless for my own good./  
  
He set a timed disabling spell, so that in two minutes it would disarm the spells surrounding the building. That would give him enough time to get to where they were, so Lucius wouldn't be ready for him. Until then he could just slip through the spells as if they didn't exist.  
  
/Voldemort really shouldn't have taught me that one./ He walked through quietly and got to the door where he could just make out the conversation.  
  
"Don't worry, Potter. Draco will come to save you." Draco scowled at the sound of Lucius' voice.  
  
"I wouldn't bet on it if I were you." Draco heard Harry spit back.  
  
"Nonsense. He'll come and try to rescue you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, as much as it pains me to say it ..... he loves you."  
  
"HA! Yeah right."  
  
"Trust me, boy, if he loves you, he'll come."  
  
Draco cringed and gritted his teeth.  
  
"Well, do I have some news for you then, Lucius? Your son doesn't love me, he hates me, and I honestly can't say that I blame him right about now. I think I messed everything up, I didn't mean to, but I did it anyway. That's a bit of bad luck for you now isn't? I guess you'll just have to kill me, stop all this dallying about."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes at Harry last comment and moved to open the door.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	6. Part 27 ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, NOT

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: It ain't real.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Golden Daffodils  
  
.  
  
--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud.  
  
.  
  
Part 27  
  
Sadly, before Draco could open the door, a strange humming noise filled the air. Completely forgetting about Harry who was in mortal danger, Draco wandered outside to have a look.  
  
A glittering space ship was hovering, mere metres above his blonde head.  
  
/Looks like it's going to be one of *those* days. How untimely./  
  
The ship landed, after moving off slightly as to not land on him but off to the side. A platform extended and the door slid open.  
  
A strange looking creature emerged. It raised its arm and moved its fingers speedily. "Sorry 'bout that, almost didn't see you there. Can you please tell me how to get to Alpha Centuri? I'm late for my Orientation Week."  
  
Draco sighed and pointed in the general direction of the star in question.  
  
The alien smiled and nodded. "Thanks mate. Hey, wanna come for a ride? There's going to be a kick-arse piss-up after the tour."  
  
"Sorry, can't. Have to save my ex-boyfriend. My father is about to rip his flesh from his bones. That would be bad."  
  
"Hmmm, well he could come too. It'll be no trouble."  
  
Draco shrugged. "Sure okay, but first we have to get him out of that building."  
  
"No worries, hop in. Just got the latest Transporter update. Can now beam anyone up through 4000 different types of solid material."  
  
Draco wandered up and stared at the many monitors. "Don't suppose you could kill my dad while you're at it? It's just that he's a real prick anyway, the world would be better off without him."  
  
"Um, sure no worries, I'll just have to log it in as a peace kill." The alien dragged out a machine that looked suspiciously like a mobile phone. "What planet is this?"  
  
"Well, we call it earth."  
  
"Ah right, yeah cool, I got it now. Damn never been here before. I must have really taken a few wrong turns. Okies, the message is sent, just have to wait for confirmation."  
  
A few seconds later the machine beeped and the alien nodded. "All set, just watch that screen."  
  
Draco looked at the one the alien pointed out and smiled happily as Lucius was suddenly disintegrated. Harry stared around in shock and then he disappeared, only to appear in the room a little way to Draco's left.  
  
"What the fuck?"  
  
"Calm down, Potter. We're just going for a little ride. Up for a party?"  
  
"Um, I guess. Who's that?"  
  
The alien slapped his forehead. "How stupid can I get? Sorry, my name's Gelatine. But everyone calls me Tina."  
  
Harry blinked as Draco searched for a cigarette. "Well Tina, let's roll."  
  
"Excellent."  
  
The ship rose into the air gracefully and then blasted off into outer space.  
  
The End.  
  
NO IT ISN'T! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME. I WAS JUST BORED.  
  
The real Part 27 should be along in a week or so, depends when I can get a comp for the necessary amount of time. 


	7. Part 27 : The Real One

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: I'm so sorry it took so long. Most of this was written months and months ago before I had even finished writing Foolish Tears. I just had to fill in stuff and then make sure it all flowed okay. 1 more part and then the Epilogue! YAY!  
  
Golden Daffodils  
  
--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud.  
  
Part 27  
  
He only got one spell off when he realised that the dagger wasn't sitting on a table. He walked through the door, blasted Lucius off his feet and into a wall before he mind finally noticed the whirring noise. His eyes flicked to the door, to the wire on the door then tried to follow where it went. The dagger had been in mid-air since his attack on Lucius.  
  
He brought his hand up to deflect it as it headed for his stomach but only succeeded in having it go straight through his palm and stick there, when the hilt couldn't make it through his skin. He hissed in displeasure as Lucius slowly stood back up.  
  
"It took me months to build that mini catapult. Painstakingly built without magic so that your precious little spells wouldn't detect it. You never were very thorough with your scans."  
  
Draco could feel the ache start up under his skin as the curse continued to flow through his bloodstream. /Well, I guess I'll just have to do this without magic. Well, without *all* of my magic anyway./ He looked to Harry. /I can do this. I can./ He didn't reassure himself very well but the sight of Harry's bleeding lip helped. He felt the anger start to rise and welcomed it, giving it a few more memories to consume itself on. He snapped his head to the side and looked directly at Lucius.  
  
The fireplace and most of the wall around it, burst into flames catching Lucius' robes alight. Draco's head pounded, using the magic while cursed was dangerous and painful but he gritted his teeth. The flames rose higher as Lucius pulled his smoking garment off and threw it away.  
  
"Admirable trick, Draco. But I can do better." He raised his wand. "Ava ..."  
  
Draco remembered the look in Harry's eyes when he had to push him away. Most of the floor around his father went up in flames and he took Lucius' lapse of concentration to his advantage. He pulled the dagger out of his hand and threw it, just managing to give Lucius a scratch across the cheek. It would be enough. A howl of protest went up and Draco had to clutch his head from the conflicting magic running through him, spiking the pain higher.  
  
The flames started to die down, as he didn't have the energy to keep them going at full swell. Once a pathway was mostly cleared, Draco charged at his father and tackled him to the ground. "You just never leave me alone, do you?" He hissed and then punched him. "Even with your pathetic little master gone, you still have to be such an arsehole!" Another punch and then he reached for the dagger in his boot. But before he could stab him, Lucius grabbed his hand and kept it away.  
  
"Physical fight, Draco? Don't you ever learn?" Lucius clutched the back of his son's head and then head butted him and threw him to the side, rising to his feet quickly. "I can still beat you down, boy." He picked the Dagger of Cadamine up and held it defensively as Draco got to his own feet.  
  
Draco summed up the situation carefully. /Both have no magic, both have knives. I'm so going to die ..... again./ A quick glance to his right where Harry was still sitting helped him to steady his nerves.  
  
"You'd kill your own son?" The bound boy hollered in disbelief.  
  
"In case you hadn't noticed, Potter." Lucius snarled, not taking his eyes off Draco. "We're slightly dysfunctional."  
  
Just then there was a blinding flash, the wards were being disabled. Lucius hadn't been ready for it but it didn't startle Draco at all. He jumped forward and swung his weapon. His father just barely managed to counter it, so Draco punched him with his other hand, feeling Lucius' nose break under his knuckles. He received a kick to his stomach for his troubles and he staggered back slightly, gasping for air. He moved forward again but Lucius was definitely ready this time and Draco moved just in time to avoid losing an eye. He slashed his hand up, opening a gash along his father's chest and ducked as a hand grabbed for him.  
  
He swung again, going for the heart but it was caught and held out to the side. He gasped, mostly from shock, as Lucius held his hand steady while swiftly bringing the dagger the entire way through his arm, about two inches up from his wrist. Draco hurriedly stumbled backwards, pushing his remaining hand over the stump that was spurting blood rather quickly. The dagger had made an almost perfect cut right through and nothing was blocking the main artery that usually ran down to his hand.  
  
Lucius smirked and dropped the detached hand to the floor, not bothering to arm himself with two knives. "Does that hurt?" He asked maliciously.  
  
"JESUS!" Harry's voice was loud even over the crackling of the fires that still burned. "You fucking arsehole!" Harry struggled with the rope, trying to loosen them a little.  
  
/Stop the bleeding, stop the bleeding./ His mind chanted the one thing he needed to do right now. He lurched to his left, having identified the only thing he could use and plunged his wound into the fireplace, going for the red-hot log. His face crumpled slightly as he winced but that was all that happened.  
  
Lucius was laughing. "I'm glad to see it's as sharp as always, I took special care with that." He patted the dagger on his palm and started to walk over where his son knelt, arm in the fire.  
  
Draco looked up and swerved out of the way of the next blow feeling the knife pass down behind his head and neck. A shot of pain rose up from his foot as Lucius' powerful carry through caused the knife to dig into the back of his heel, severing his Achilles tendon almost instantly. Draco elbowed Lucius in the face and then used his newly damaged foot to kick him away, even though it was excruciating. He tried to rise but his foot would no longer hold him up properly. he rolled out of the way as Lucius came back.  
  
"I don't know why you're bothering, you know you can't win a fight against me, not without your magic."  
  
He looked over to Harry and saw that the boy had turned all his concentration to getting out of the chair and coming to help.  
  
"Without magic, you're nothing." Lucius sneered. "Sometimes I truly detested calling you my son. I'm stronger than you. I'm smarter, more cunning and more ambitious than you'll ever be."  
  
"Yeah? Well I'm prettier." Draco spat back as he sat himself up. He received a kick to the face that left him spitting out blood and three teeth.  
  
"You won't be at all pretty when I've finished with you."  
  
A kick to Draco's chest and he felt his ribs splinter just before the back of his head hit the floor. He looked around desperately and saw his hand, still holding the knife and rolled out of the way of the next kick. He made it to his knees and caught the next one, pinning it to his side and had to take a second to recover. He was finding it very hard to breath after the impact to his ribs. He steadied himself and smashed his blistered stump into Lucius' groin and gave a smirk as the older man howled. Pushing him away, Draco basically launched himself at his detached hand.  
  
Another hand grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him back just as he was about to reach his target. Lucius rolled him on to his back, standing over and lifted his torso up off the ground. "You were never better than me, boy. You and your traitorous bitch mother. I could have done so well without the both of you." He smiled cruelly. "I should have done this to her when I found out she was expecting."  
  
Draco let out a stunned sigh as he felt the dagger sink into his stomach. A small drop of blood fell on his cheek from his father's nose. /Broken nose, those hurt./ Trusting his instincts, Draco's hand flew up and smacked Lucius in the nose again making the older man howl and release the knife in favour of clutching his face.  
  
Draco pulled the knife out of his stomach and drove into the easiest place to reach, Lucius' thigh, making another howl. He found he was getting to quite like that sound. /Could listen to that all day./ He spun over onto his stomach and headed back for his hand, desperately wanting to get to the bead Alaric had given him. He could see the lump under the skin and snatched the hand up as he finally got close enough. He could hear Lucius swearing and standing up. The bead wasn't moving out very quickly but Draco was desperate for it.  
  
"You ignorant little fool!" Lucius had pulled the dagger out of his leg and was now limping quickly over to where Draco lay on the floor, clawing desperately at his severed hand. "Why can't you just accept that I've won? You're nothing, NOTHING compared to me!"  
  
Draco could hear how close he was and gave up on the entire idea of using the bead. he closed his eyes and prayed for luck as he slipped his dagger into the hand that was still attached.  
  
Lucius was enraged by this point and hadn't even noticed what Draco had been going for. He arrived, Draco still showing him his back. "I should have gutted you when you were born!"  
  
"No!" Harry yelled as Lucius went to swing.  
  
Draco moved quickly, kicking Lucius' legs out from under him and making the elder wizard fall to the ground, landing on his back hard enough to wind him. Using the last of his dwindling strength, Draco rolled, stretching his arm out and slammed the dagger into his father's chest, through his heart. There was a moment of complete confusion in Lucius' eyes before realisation came through.  
  
Draco sneered. "I was *always* better than you." He rasped out before turning the dagger slightly and then yanking it out with a loud slurping noise. Lucius let out a shaky breath, his eyes still wide from shock, and then went still.  
  
All he wanted to do was collapse and not move for a very long time but Draco lifted himself on to his elbows and did an awkward looking scramble to drag himself to the other side of the room, to the chair. He cut through the ropes around Harry's left hand and then placed the knife in the boy's lap. "Cut yourself free, could you? I'm kind of exhausted right now."  
  
Harry cut his bonds and stood up unsteadily, stretching his legs. He looked down to where the blonde was lying, breathing oddly. "Um, are you okay?"  
  
Even at the state he was in, Draco could still do a fairly ridiculing look. "Of course, I'm just fine. Hell, it's not like parts of me are still bleeding." He spat sarcastically.  
  
"Sorry, um, can I do anything?"  
  
Draco nodded. "Yeah, actually. You can bring me my hand."  
  
Harry screwed his nose up and shot a quick look to where the severed hand was lying. "Um, no thanks."  
  
"Harry, don't be a dick and get me my hand." Draco rasped out before coughing slightly. A small drop of blood formed at the corner of his mouth when he turned his head. "I need it to call Sev or you know, we could just stay here and you can watch me slowly bleed to death internally." He coughed again. "That could be fun."  
  
Harry reluctantly walked over and picked up the cooling, slightly rigid hand and brought it back to drop into Draco's lap as the blonde had managed to sit up.  
  
"Thanks." He stuck the third finger in his mouth and pulled the ring off as Harry blanched again. Draco put the hand down so he could safely put the ring into his pocket. Then he stuck the pinkie finger in his mouth and pulled off the ring that Sev had given him. The one with the Snape family crest on it.  
  
He fumbled with the hand again, slowly working the bead along under the stiffening flesh and then out the end. He struggled to place it side the ring as he was not accustomed to only have one hand to work with. He finally managed it and then gripped the ring tightly in his fist. He took a deep breath and then had to cough harshly from the action but pushed on anyway. "SEVERUS!" His voice sounded inhumane, even to him. He sighed wetly when he felt the bead heat up, thankful that it had worked.  
  
Harry sat down next to him and pushed the blonde fringe out of Draco's eyes. "Is there anything else I can do?"  
  
"No. Now we just wait for Sev." Draco opened his hand and showed the bead inside of the ring band. It was glowing. "It's a storage container, sort of like a back up generator. It had enough magic in it for me to send Sev a guidance spell."  
  
"Why didn't you just make a portkey?"  
  
"Not enough magic. I did the best I could."  
  
"Thank you, for coming that is. But why did you?" Harry rested his hand on Draco's forehead as a calming gesture when the blonde dissolved into a bloody coughing fit.  
  
Draco smiled in pleasure at Harry's touch but then snapped his eyes open. "You . " He trailed off, trying to convince himself that he imagined it. "You love me?"  
  
Harry pulled his hand back quickly in realisation and opened his mouth to say something, but had to close it again when he couldn't really think of how to reply.  
  
/I'm hallucinating./ "But you hated me .... I felt it, you ...." His voice trailed off as an idea occurred to him. "The Fury potion." He breathed out.  
  
Harry fidgeted slightly, not knowing what to say.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Yes. I took it. It was easier when I hated you."  
  
Draco had to give him that at least, though wasn't too sure why Harry couldn't hate him without the effects of a potion. "You stopped taking it?"  
  
"It kept wearing off, quicker and quicker. I got to overdosing point before I gave up on it."  
  
/Shit. He truly loves me./ He didn't get a chance to respond.  
  
Sev walked into the room and surveyed the scene. "Holy fuck." He said blandly.  
  
"Yeah that about summons it up." Draco muttered back.  
  
"Poppy will not be happy to see you back so soon."  
  
"Tell her I said that she can go fuck herself if she asks."  
  
"*I'm* glad he came." Harry cut in before Sev started in on a reprimand.  
  
"I'm sure you are."  
  
Draco laughed slightly, before breaking into more coughing.  
  
"Draco?" He turned his head slightly to look at Harry. "Why *did* you come?"  
  
Draco just smiled weakly as he felt Sev pick him up. His eyes slipped closed and he never heard the next few words that Sev said to the Gryffindor.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	8. Part 28

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: BADLY WRITTEN SMUT! :) And me being a bitch with words.  
  
Golden Daffodils  
  
--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud.  
  
Part 28  
  
He pointed his newly grown forefinger at Poppy and she fell silent. But she did give him one last glare as he left. /Honestly, it's not like I go looking for horrendous injuries. They just ..... happen./ Draco had spent eight days in the hospital wing and it was really getting on his nerves. It had taken three days for the counter effect of the dagger to fully take hold and then only two days for him to completely regenerate and heal but Poppy had kept him for almost three more days, saying that if she could manage to keep him out of trouble for awhile, *she* would live longer. He had replied by saying that if old age was one of her goals, then she should avoid eating the hospital food.  
  
She upped his sleep medication.  
  
But now he was free to go and intended to do so as quickly as possible. The halls were basically quiet as he walked back to his room. Classes were in but he didn't have to worry about his until tomorrow. /Lie in my own bed, stare at my own ceiling. Much better./ Draco scowled as he thought about what he was going to have to do with the whole Harry situation. Very little made much sense to him right now as he chose just not to think about it. /Face it, you've got no idea./ He pushed this worrying thought away as he flung the door open to Sev's rooms, deciding a little stop off was in order before heading to the dorms.  
  
"That door will break one day if you keep doing that." Said door had hit the wall hard and bounced back, slamming shut.  
  
"Well if it does, I can fix it." Draco muttered irritably as he collapsed into the nearest chair.  
  
"Something the matter?"  
  
"Fuck off, don't act so innocent."  
  
"Your things are on the desk."  
  
Draco dragged himself back up and walked over to find his two rings lying next to each other on the desktop. He picked up the one Sev had given him and slipped it back onto his little finger where it belonged. He looked at the other one for a long time before Sev broke in.  
  
"You don't have to wear it."  
  
"I really should just let it go, I know that." Draco smiled sadly. "I've known that for a long time." He picked the ring up. "I should just give him up." And slid it on to his finger, looking up at Sev and shaking his head a little with a small smile. "But not today."  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"I don't know." A few years ago, Draco had rarely found the need to utter that phrase. But he had noticed the alarming frequency that he used them these days, usually all because of one certain person. /I should just give up thinking, that would be easier./  
  
"I spoke to him. While you were recovering, I thought it might be a good idea to have a little chat with him."  
  
Draco instantly looked suspicious. "Please tell me that there was no blood involved?"  
  
"There was no blood involved." Sev echoed back, smiling.  
  
"Seriously. You can get a little overprotective sometimes. You didn't damage him did you?"  
  
"Of course not." Sev raised an eyebrow back at him. "Besides, your friends were there as well, they can vouch for my self-restraint."  
  
"Got your cover stories all work out already, huh?" And with that Draco stuck his tongue out childishly and glided back out door, suddenly feeling restless if Sev was only going to talk about Harry all the time. He made he way back and lit only the torch above his bed, leaving most of the room in darkness. With relief, he collapsed back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before he noticed something wasn't quite right. Sighing, he sat back up. "Yes?"  
  
Harry stepped out of the darkness, a slight smile on his face. "How do you do that?"  
  
"Talent. Was there a reason you were lurking in the shadows."  
  
"I was just trying to work out what to say before you knew I was here."  
  
Draco gave a smile, trying to appear friendly even though he was starting to get nervous. "Some people might constitute this as stalking."  
  
"Well, first off, I wanted to say thank you."  
  
"No need."  
  
"Well, I wanted to say it anyway." Harry sat down on the edge of the bed. "Professor Snape came to see me while you were still in the hospital wing."  
  
"Yes, he did mention it."  
  
"Justin, Blaise, Hermione, Ginny, Astra, they were all there too."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Well, they sat me down." Harry smiled in a strained way. "Then they tied me to the chair."  
  
Draco was suddenly caught between the urge to laugh and the wanting to look astounded. His face didn't even flicker. "Really?"  
  
"Yes. It was quite an ordeal. They explained pretty much everything to me. Your father, your mother, what you had to do while you were away, everything."  
  
"Yes, I might have told a few exaggerations. Like my mother for instance, she was quite nice."  
  
"You didn't meet her until you were ten."  
  
Draco gave a dismissive shrug. "Some things you can't change. I was locked in my room, she had her own part of the castle to stay in."  
  
"They also told me about the gifts you sent me." Harry looked over. "The songs and everything."  
  
Draco gave a tight smile. "I am not above having people cover for me."  
  
"Or asking Dobby to lie for you." Harry leant back on his hands. "I tried to make you one. A song, that is. I couldn't get it to play properly."  
  
"What was the song?" Draco was really feeling uncomfortable now. He hated having little chats like this where they skirted around the more important issues with meaningless drivel.  
  
"Az Yet." Harry stared at the wall. "Hard For Me To Say I'm Sorry."  
  
"Oh, a nice remake."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They fell into an awkward silence. It lasted four minutes and thirty seven seconds. Draco was counting.  
  
"Why are you here, Harry?" He said softly.  
  
"I wanted to say I was sorry."  
  
"You're not the only person in the world that the blame should fall to. Most of it was my doing, or Voldemort's."  
  
"I want you to take me back."  
  
Draco sighed and got off the bed. "We tried it once, and look where it got us."  
  
Harry stood up as well. "But we don't have to lie to each other anymore, we don't have anyone else to mess it all up for us."  
  
"There are a thousand other things that we could do and we would still be better off." Draco turned to look at him. "We nearly destroyed each other this year, anymore bickering and we probably would have."  
  
"I know you still love me, Professor Snape said so."  
  
"Of course I do, but look at us. Look where we ended up. It's fine when we're agreeing with each other, but when we aren't ....." Draco trailed off and then took a steady breath. "You're better off without me."  
  
"I'm miserable without you." Harry pushed.  
  
"I said 'better off', I didn't say 'happy'."  
  
"I love you."  
  
Draco looked up from the floor. "That's not always enough."  
  
"Well we'll make it enough. We've both done some awful things since you left last year. We've hurt ourselves and each other." Harry took a step forward. "And I can forgive you everything in an instant." He sighed. "Look, I'll make you a deal. I will ask you one last time. I'll beg you to take me back. If you say yes, then I'm going to sit back down on the bed and we'll see what happens from here on out. If you say no then I'll let you end the connection and never bother you again."  
  
Draco thought about this for only a few seconds, but it felt a lot longer than that. "I'm not as wonderful as I might have made myself out to be, you know." Draco then tilted his head in a gesture of allowance. "Then again, I'm not as evil as I might have made my self out to be."  
  
"I don't care, honestly, I don't. I know what kind of a person you are. Draco?" Harry waited until the blonde looked back up. "I'm begging for you to take me back. I know it won't be the easier thing in the world, but we can do this. Please, if you just let me come back. I had a long time to think about this, tied to the chair. I know we can make it work." Draco had looked down again so he pushed the blonde's chin back up. "Please." He whispered in a desperate tone.  
  
"I'm sorry." Draco mumbled and looked away.  
  
Harry closed his eyes, feeling wretched. He started to turn away but Draco grabbed his arm.  
  
"The connection."  
  
Harry looked at him incredulously.  
  
"You did promise."  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
Draco glanced at his hand and a small cut opened up, painlessly. He slowly placed it into Harry's and leant forward for the kiss. He knew what he wanted, but he also knew what he had to do. Harry's lips parted under his.  
  
Blackness, with the two shimmering pools of green and blue. The merged together to form one and swirled around, mixing everything together. But when it came to the part when they were supposed to separate completely, leaving one blue and one green, Draco concentrated everything he had on his goal. The outline of the one large pool flashed powerfully and the two boys pulled apart, gasping.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Harry panted out.  
  
Draco recovered his composure quickly and just smiled slightly. "That was the final step." The smile faded. "And I won't ever tell you how to undo it."  
  
Harry was still confused. "What? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Let's just say that I've made sure that you won't ever be able to get rid of me again."  
  
"What?" Harry was beginning to look stunned.  
  
"I said 'I'm sorry', I didn't say 'No'." Draco's lips twitched.  
  
Harry's jaw dropped. Then his fist swung and caught Draco in the chest. "You bastard!" But he had started to smile again.  
  
"I think I deserved one more jab." Draco crossed his arms, looking arrogant. "Selena still hasn't quite forgiven you."  
  
Harry looked away, a little guilty at that reminder. "So what now?"  
  
"Well, you said it yourself. It won't be easy. In fact that's quite an understatement. We both have a lot of trust issues, and there are a thousand things we need to talk about. All those things take time, but you know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Fuck. That." Draco almost growled it out. "I say we skip to the sex and if we have problems later on, we'll talk about it then."  
  
Harry's eyes widened. "Huh?"  
  
Draco stepped closer. "I'm very tired. With everything. I've been up, down, around, the full sized roller coaster of emotions these last few years. Right now, I don't want to reminisce about things I'd rather forget forever. I don't want to talk about how screwed up we both are." He raised his hand to Harry's face and brushed his fingers down. "I just want to touch you, and forget all the problems we have. Just for a few moments."  
  
Harry smiled back and nodded, parting his lips and letting Draco's tongue into his mouth. It wasn't a slow kiss, it was almost desperate, but neither really cared. They didn't even take the time to remove their clothes, they just lay back down on the bed, hands running everywhere, rubbing against each other before Harry was the first to reach orgasm, after Draco had strongly grasped his erection through the layers of cloth and given four powerful strokes. Then green eyes gave a fiendish look and Harry had rolled them both so that Draco was on his back.  
  
After a brief struggle and with a little help, Harry had managed to get Draco's trousers undone and down to his knees, only to move straight back to his target and engulf the hard, slippery flesh with his mouth. Draco had let out a sigh when he first felt it, letting his head drop back and closing his eyes.  
  
Harry moved his head back up for a second. "Are you going to open your eyes?"  
  
A obstinate shake of Draco's head. "No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Draco whispered his answer. "Because if I can't see your face, I know it's really you."  
  
Harry returned to his task, silently.  
  
Nothing was said after that, nit even when Draco felt the rush of pleasure sweeping through him. He just pulled the other boy back up and encircled him with his arms, trying to communicate for Harry to stay. Harry needed no other prompting and lay his head down on Draco's shoulder, just happy that they were slowly getting back to where they belonged.  
  
Just before he joined his lover in sleep, the Gryffindor took the ring off of Draco's left hand and looked at it thoughtfully. He smiled and pressed a kiss to the blonde's neck and then slid the ring onto the ring finger of Draco's left hand. "We'll be fine."  
  
To Be Continued. (MORE SMUT COMING! I have to do something to make you bother reading the final part :P ) 


	9. Epilogue : Draco's POV

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.

Warnings: BADLY WRITTEN SMUT! :)

Golden Daffodils

_--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud._

Epilogue - Draco's POV

NOTE: The Watch Joke … it's around the wrong way … Just thought I had to clarify. You'll see when you get to it.

Golden Daffodils are the first things I see when I open my eyes. They're clearly trying to choke the vase they sit in, there's so many. Harry always insists on getting up and picking more everyday when he goes for his morning walk, but I know he only does that because I like them. They always were my favourites.

The reason that I woke up at all was repeated. Someone, no prizes for guessing who, was digging a finger into my spine, just below my neck. It was rather irritating. "Stop it." I don't know why I bothered. Me muttering at him won't do anything. His fingers felt cold from his walk and I briefly considered giving him my 'Are you mad?' speech about wandering around the yard at four o'clock in the morning.

But I know why he does it, this place still creeps him out. He asked me why I wanted to come back here to live when I first told him where I was going. Said that it was my home, and I was damn well going to live in it, laughing at Lucius, until hell froze over and the bastard wouldn't be able to hear me anymore for all the ice in his skull. Besides, it was huge and ludicrously expensive, just my style.

Harry had smiled slightly, giving a shrug and a few words of how if I could, he could. Don't recall asking him to move in, then again, didn't tell him not to either. Things haven't been too bad, only a few screaming matches with some less than pleasant things said. We're doing a lot better than I ever thought.

Though we did remove anything breakable from our room after the first fight. Anything that was left, anyway. And the carpet is still a little scorched.

"Are you ever going to get up?"

"No, go away. I'm sleeping."

Those fingers, back into my spine again and I sighed, shifting to roll over and look at him where he sat. I like the mornings when he's smiling and thankfully this is one of them. "I get the impression you were trying to capture my attention. Anything I can help you with?"

He scrunched his face up a little but still smiled. "Haven't you forgotten anything?"

"That I'm stuck with an irritating child who won't let me sleep in?"

He scratched his chest, knocking the necklace out of the way. He still insists on wearing it, though he made me remove the influencing spell on it, the one that helped him hate me when I needed him to. I sent him my best smile, knowing what he was fishing for.

"Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?"

I looked down to the bed, as if in deep in thought, knowing that he must be getting a little annoyed by now. "Um, can't really think of anything."

"Think harder." Ah, his slightly cold tone, oh yes, he's getting irritated.

I look up, face brightening as if I just thought it. "Happy Birthday."

His tense posture relaxed somewhat and he smiled again. "Thank you. Do I get anything?"

I know I shouldn't do it, call me masochistic if you like, I know I shouldn't intentionally anger him, not when there are so many things I could do unintentionally, but I'd been thinking about it for the last four days. I know I should just give him what he's **not** asking for right now, especially as we had a fight just last night and went to bed angry without even looking at each other, but I don't. "Yeah, your gifts are down in the library." _He's going to kill me. But it'll be worth it._

"Anything else?" He's starting with that confused tone, as if I might have missed that look in his eye.

I haven't, but I'm an evil bastard. Well, perhaps not 'evil' maybe only a little mean. "Um, no, should there be? Thought you'd want to go unwrap your presents."

"I just thought there might be something **here** for me." He indicates he means the bedroom.

I frown. "No, I left your gifts, all wrapped up, in the library."

He looks at me for a little longer, trying to see if I'm serious. "Okay, come down with me?"

"Why?" _Dead, yes, I'm so dead. … Again._

"To watch me open them."

"Nah, I'll get a bit more sleep, you go have fun."

And there it is, that look that means he's going to try **something** in order to hurt me. But he doesn't. He only stands, quicker than he should making him overbalance a bit. "Fine." It was more of a snarl and part of me feels slightly guilty.

Fortunately I bought him nothing breakable, because I just know he's going to throw them against the walls or something. He slams the door after himself and I can even still hear him stomp down the stairs, as if he was five not eighteen.

_I'm so going to pay for that._ But I'm laughing softly anyway. The difference with **meaning** to make him mad is at least I know how to fix it. _I hope._ Briefly thinking about actually staying in bed like I told him I would, I snort, knowing that I should only do that if I want to lose my hand … again.

I dragged myself out of the nice warm bed and headed off to have a shower, thinking everything out perfectly as the water tumbled over me. I kept it quick, not knowing how long it would be before he came back up. _What if he doesn't come back up? What if he stays down there? Or leaves completely, going to his friends?_ But I push those thoughts aside, knowing that he won't.

He'll come back up, if only to trudge around the room, opening drawers only to slam them closed again. He's mad right now, and he'll be mad again when he finds out I did it on purpose, but I should be able to win him back over. I grabbed up my towel, drying off quickly then found my white towelling robe. It hangs open and loose as I made my way over to my drawers and find the think red ribbon I bought last week.

It's tacky and I know it, but he'll like it. _Besides it could have been worse … I could be wearing silk._ I tied my robe closed and went to sit on the end of the bed. I can smell the fresh flowers from where I'm sitting and it's actually quite nice. Daffodils aren't the prettiest flowers, but they were my mother's favourite, so they became mine. Never knew if she only liked them because they were her namesake but that doesn't really matter. I keep meaning to tell Harry that they have another name, Lent Lily, but I somehow never get around to it. _Wonder if he already knows?_ Besides, it would sound strange to say it.

He's coming back up the stairs now, must have finished trying to destroy my gifts. I placed my hands back and leant all my weight to there. Pushing my knees together, but keeping my ankles as far apart as I could, I titled my head to side, adopting an innocent look. It's not easier to hold this position and look relaxed, but I managed … just.

He doesn't even look at me when he comes in, so I wait as he thumps around the room, opening and closing things a little too loudly and putting on the pretense that he's looking for something. _He'll ask me if I've seen something soon._ More stomping and thumping and slamming things shut, but I wait it out.

"Have you seen my blue shirt?"

I have, it's in the bathroom hamper and I'll bet everything I own that he knows it too, but I play along. "No."

"Well, I wanted to wear it. I'm going to see Hermione. Get out of this fucking house, and away from you."

I don't rise to the bait. "Okay."

He slammed the wardrobe door so hard the whole thing shook as the door swung out again, the wood groaning. "For fuck's sake Malfoy! I don't ask for much most times and the least you could do is …"

He'd finally turned around and looked at me. I must look like a right slut, all sprawled and red bows and nonsense, but I don't care. I just smile at him, looking as innocent as I can. "Something wrong? You seem angry about something." I can see in his eyes that it's all clicking into place and his lips twitch.

Then his second wind of anger kicks in and he walks over. "You did it on purpose."

"Guilty."

"You are such a dumb fuck, Malfoy."

I shrug. "Well, if that's what you want." I raise my right hand to twirl some of my hair around. "Say, Mister, you got the time? My watch is just plain gold with 'Rolex' written into it."

He laughs this time, even though he tries to stop it and I finish playing with my hair, sitting up and letting my hands rest on his hips.

"I'm sure you can find it in your big, Gryffindor heart to forgive me though." I pushed his shirt up and kissed his stomach in apology. His fingers brushed across my face and I smiled into his warm skin. _Gotcha._

"We're going to kill each other one of these days." He sounded sad so I kissed him again.

"Maybe, but if it makes you feel any better, I'm glad it'll be by you."

"You always hurt the ones …"

I stood up and kissed him, trying to show that talking was not necessary and that he should stop being so damned depressed. "Do be quiet, Harry. You talk too much." I stepped backwards, up on to the bed and beckoned for him to follow.

He walked around the side of the bed as I slid to lie down as gracefully as I could. He crawled over to me and I held my hands out, brushing them across his face before moving to the back of his head and pulling him down for a kiss.

I can feel his hand at the ribbon pulling it undone and off. I let him stroke my chest and stomach for a few moments before pushing him to lie on his back, my hands going to his belt and getting it unfastened. I don't bother with pulling his trousers all the way off, just push them down to his thighs. "Have you been keeping up with your exercises?"

"Huh, what?" He probably can't believe I'm asking him questions while my hand is only three inches from his erection.

"Your exercises where you practice control for all this excess power we have to put up with. It's just that the last time you had an orgasm when you were angry … well …" I don't finish the sentence, certain that he remembers what happened. Not that it really bothered me, never liked that sofa anyway.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter … I'm not angry. Not anymore."

"Just checking." I moved down the bed a bit, my right hand trying to hold him still as I lowered my mouth over his sensitive foreskin.

His hand went to my hair, trying to pull me back up. "No, Draco, stop, you don't have to."

"It's okay."

"No, it's fucking not. You don't have …" He flinched at the feeling of my hand falling on to his mouth, pushing his head back a bit.

"I don't mind, Harry. Unless you're stopping me because you do?" I bring my hand away from his mouth, letting him say what he wanted.

"Fuck, no." He lay back down, waving a hand lazily. "Don't let me stop you."

"Wasn't planning to." And I suck his erection back into my mouth as he squirms. I wasn't lying, I really don't mind. I maybe have been fucked in the head, figuratively and literally, but I could still distinguish the difference between Harry's cock and one that I don't usually care to think about. Harry's was smoother, sweeter somehow.

I was so lost in thought about all the things that I really liked about his cock, as I pushed it past the back of my throat or as I only sucked on the tip, I didn't even notice the sounds he was making until he came.

"Damn." He whispered, his hips lifting a little.

I sucked stronger, letting the salty fluid fill my mouth before bringing my head up, letting him go. I swallowed it down, smiling at the look on his face, his eyes closed, breathing through his mouth. I just watched him for a few moments as he lay there, still breathing faster than normal before placing one more kiss to his stomach. I slid out of bed, reaching for the clothes I'd laid out for today. He frowned as he watched me get dressed.

"But you haven't …"

I cut him off with a kiss. "That's okay."

He doesn't say anything further, just nodding a little. Sometimes I just can't stand to have anyone touch me and he knows it. This isn't exactly one of those moments, but it's his birthday, not mine. Besides, there's still one gift I haven't given him yet. Brushing my fringe back I looked into the mirror. One quick swipe with my hands and my hair was back to black.

_He was right, it does makes me look like a whore._ I smiled, turning my head from side to side. _A very pretty whore._ I tried not to laugh at that.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready."

"What? For what?"

"We're going out."

"We are?"

"Yes."

"So soon?"

"We're going to Privet Drive."

"What?"

"You promised that I would get to meet your relatives when I'd finished school and didn't have to conform to the 'no magic' rule. Now, I know that I **have** met them since then, but I was usually very busy and didn't get to greet them as much as I'd hoped."

"They'll never let you in. They're terrified of you!"

"Only terrified? Well, I guess it's a start."

Harry smiled, turning me away from the mirror. He'd readjusted his clothes while I was looking at myself. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing we won't get caught for."

"Draco …" His pretty 'warning tone'.

I kissed him, smiling innocently. "Happy Birthday, honey." I picked up a small, grey carry case, sending him a wink.

He looked at it warily then shrugged, linking his arm through mine. _Yeah, we'll be just fine._

THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry? You didn't quite catch that? I said … IT'S FUCKING OVER!!!!!!! pops champagne cork

_--------- I wandered lonely as a cloud_

_--------- That floats on high o'ver vales and hill,_

_--------- When all at once I saw a crowd,_

_--------- A host, of golden daffodils_

--William Wordsworth.

-

The Living Creature Trilogy is done and done.

_--------- __But in my arms till break of day _

_--------- __Let the living creature lie, _

_--------- __Mortal, guilty, but to me _

_--------- __The entirely beautiful. _

--W.H Auden

A huge thank you to everyone who put up with all my shit concerning this trilogy. I couldn't have done it without any of you. All the nagging and whining has paid off (not well, but paid off nonetheless) Thank you to all my readers and their various death threats. Thank you, thank you thank you. I know some of us will be parting ways now, so goodbye and take care. For those of you sticking around to read my other stuff … you fools **:P**


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